


Build Your Home in My Heart

by orayofsunshine



Series: Close to What I'm Needing [4]
Category: Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Excessive use of flashbacks, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Marriage of Convenience, Miscarriage, Rating changed to M out of an abundance of caution, but lots of babies eventually, i mean they're married they're going to do it, infrequent light smut, rules of propriety don't count when you're married
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:13:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 97,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24828871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orayofsunshine/pseuds/orayofsunshine
Summary: After the events of the infamous Christmas Pantomime, Anne and Gilbert must now navigate the world as a married couple. Through trials, hardships, victories and every moment in between, the little Blythe family learns what it truly means to find and build a home.Part 4 of the "Close to What I'm Needing" series. Sequel to New Courage, (You Get My) Soul Right, and The Tremblay Interlude.
Relationships: Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley, Josie Pye/Original Male Character(s)
Series: Close to What I'm Needing [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1715890
Comments: 245
Kudos: 449





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> Me: *says im going to take a break on this series*  
> Also me: *waits three days then starts writing again because im too excited*

“Do you think you could act a little less excited, dear?” Gilbert said with a low chuckle, taking his wife’s hand in his to keep her from practically bouncing out of her seat. 

“No, I don’t think I can. My best friend just had a baby, and I have waited far too long to meet him.” Anne Blythe said excitedly, still practically vibrating with excitement as they bounced down the road towards the Tremblay ranch. “Do you think he’ll look like Henry? Or maybe he’ll be blond like Josie? Actually, no, I think he’ll definitely look like Henry. You’ve met his family, you know how strong those genes are... Oh, I’m so excited I don’t think I give a hoot who he looks like!” 

Gilbert couldn’t help but smile at Anne’s antics, bringing his hand to his mouth to place a kiss to it. “Whatever you say dear. I suppose we’ll know soon enough, we’re just about there.” 

In truth, Gilbert was just excited to meet the newest addition to the Tremblay clan as his wife was, he just had a much more subdued way of showing it. He knew how much his old roommate wanted a family, especially after all of the strife he had gone through at the beginning of his marriage, and it made Gilbert very happy knowing that his and Josie’s dreams were coming true, and that they were happier than ever with their new arrival. 

By the time the coach pulled up to the Tremblay home, Anne all but leapt from the carriage, skirts flying around her, leaving Gilbert behind to gather all of the essentials for their stay. 

“Didn’t you forget something important, dear?” He called after her, only to be ignored as she raced up the porch to knock loudly on the door, letting herself in without waiting for a response. 

“Josie Tremblay, I need your baby in my arms within five seconds or I will certainly die a most gruesome death!” She exclaimed, only to be met with a little body colliding with her knees rather than her best friend. She beamed down at the little boy, his sandy blonde hair and deep brown eyes staring up at her. 

“Aunt Anne, Aunt Anne! You’re here!” Sam Tremblay cheered happily, holding his arms up for the woman to pick him up. 

“Yes I am, young Mister Tremblay! Look how much you’ve grown! You’ll be as big as your Papa before long.” She said, scooping the four year old up into her arms to cuddle him. “Me and Uncle Gilbert are here to meet your baby brother, now where is your father?” 

“Right here,” Henry said with a chuckle, walking into the foyer to greet his guests. “It’s good to see you, Anne. You’re as beautiful as ever.” 

“Thank you, Henry!” She replied with a wide smile, shifting Sam to her hip to hug her friend. “As nice as it is to see you, and I mean no offense by this…” 

“Josie’s upstairs with the baby. You can go on up, I’ll take this little cub off of your hands.” He said with a smile, pulling his oldest son from Anne’s arms, flipping the toddler upside down and blowing a raspberry on his belly, sending him into a fit of giggles as Gilbert let himself into the house. 

“Thank you for leaving me behind, Anne.” He said flatly, his less than happy tone completely unnoticed as Anne pulled the most important bundle that he carried from his arms, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before she hurried off through the house, leaving Gilbert and Henry behind to shake hands and catch up on each other’s lives since they had last seen each other. 

Anne, on the other hand, raced through the house at a breakneck pace, just barely remembering to keep her volume down as she burst into Josie and Henry’s bedroom, squealing quietly at the sight of her friend sitting on the bed, a small bundle in her arms. 

“My, my, Mrs. Tremblay. You can’t seem to make anything but boys, can you?” Anne said with a laugh as Josie looked up at her, a bright smile on her face as Anne crossed the room. 

“I’m beginning to think so. I was so sure that after three, this one would have to be a girl. But I was wrong.” She chuckled, reaching out to give her friend a small hug as Anne sat down on the bed and leaned back against the headboard, letting Josie peer into the bundle that Anne held. “That being said, I want to hold a little girl more than anything, so you better swap with me right this second.” 

Anne giggled, scooting back to rest against the headboard and twisting herself so Josie could get a better look. “Alright then. I would like to formally introduce you to Hazel Josephine Blythe.” 

“I can’t believe you named her after me.” Josie said with a light hearted roll of her eyes, a small smile playing on her face. 

“Of course I did! If she had been a boy, then we would have named him after Henry. You two are our best friends, we wouldn’t dream of naming our children after anyone else. And since you have so many children and it’s hard for you to remember all of their names, I remind you that your oldest is named Samuel Gilbert, so you two were the ones who started the trend in the first place!” 

“Never mind that, give me that little girl right now. I could just eat you up, little miss! Yes, I could!” Josie cooed, setting her own child down on the bed in front of her so she could take Hazel from Anne. 

“Josie! Did you really just set your son down like he was a dish rag?” Anne gasped, reaching over to scoop up the little baby, only a few months younger than her own daughter. Josie snorted, glancing up from Hazel to give Anne an amused look as the redhead delicately cradled the baby. 

“They don’t need to be held every moment of the day, Anne. They won’t break if you set them down every once in a while.” She said with a small laugh, only to receive a dirty look from her friend. 

“Oh hush you, and let me fuss. I’m a first time mother and you’re on baby number four and will have number five on the way by the end of the month-” Anne teased, only to be smacked on the arm by Josie for her comment. 

“Don’t be a mean old hag, I’m sure now that you and Gilbert don’t have to be careful, you’ll be delivering every year just like I am.” Josie huffed, and Anne rolled her eyes. 

She was right, of course. She and Gilbert had been very patient- and exceedingly careful- to not have children the first few years of their marriage while they finished school. But the moment Gilbert had a degree in hand and a practice of his own, they two were more than ready to start a family, and within a month of living in their new house Anne unsurprisingly discovered that she was expecting. 

“Well I think at the very least we should wait to recover from these two before we think about having another.” Anne finally said, bouncing the baby in her arms slightly, looking down at him. “What’s his name?” 

“Charles Henry, I finally was able to convince Henry to pass on his name.” Josie said happily as the baby’s namesake entered, a proud smile on his face. 

“Very reluctantly pass on, might I say. Isn’t he something else?” Henry asked proudly, stepping closer to the bed to look at his youngest son. Anne nodded in agreement, running a hand over the dark, downy hair on top of the baby’s head. 

“He’s undeniably Tremblay, that’s for sure. Poor Josie, four sons and none of them look like you.” She said with a teasing look to her friend, who just smiled happily. 

“That’s not entirely true! They each have one part of their mother: Sam is blond like me, Will has my eyes, and Thomas my nose, but the rest is completely Henry. I could say the same to you though, Anne! Little miss Hazel here doesn’t look like you one bit, she’s all Gilbert, that much is clear.” Josie laughed, beckoning Henry closer to show him the head of dark curls and hazel eyes peering curiously up at them. Henry smiled at the baby, reaching out to stroke her chubby cheek softly as he sat down on the edge of the bed next to his wife.

“And I’d say that’s a miracle. I started praying the moment I found out that I was pregnant that the baby wouldn’t come out with red hair, and the Lord delivered.” Anne laughed as Gilbert entered the room, Sam in his arms. 

“Gilbert, are you sure this child wasn’t born too early? She’s quite small.” Henry said teasingly, getting back for years worth of ribbing as he gently took Hazel from Josie, cradling her gently and getting up from the bed to stand beside his friend. Gilbert rolled his eyes, setting Sam down on the bed before straightening to place a kiss to his daughter’s head. 

“You shut your trap, Henry. She’s perfect in every possible way. You’re the one who has absolutely massive babies.” He said, elbowing his friend in the ribs lightly, careful not to jostle Hazel as he did so. 

“Speaking of babies, I can’t help but notice that our house is shockingly quiet,” Josie said, pulling her oldest son into her lap and nuzzling him sweetly for a moment before looking up to her husband. “Where is Will and Thomas?” 

“Ethel took them to the big house for the afternoon, I thought it would be best to have a somewhat empty house for when Anne and Gilbert arrived.” Henry said, and Anne laughed, looking up from the sleeping infant in her arms. 

“As much as I love your children, I can’t say I’m not glad for a little bit of peace.” She said as Hazel began fussing in Henry’s arms, and Anne passed off Charles to Josie before holding her arms out to take her own child. 

“It appears someone is ready for lunch.” She said, looking up at the two men. “So I’m afraid this is when I kick you two out.” 

“We’ll join you two downstairs in a minute. Henry, could you have Emma put on tea for everyone?” Josie asked, very thankful for the maid she had hired once she had more babies than arms to carry them. Though she had grown up with maids and housekeepers, her pride and desire to single handedly run her household for as long as she could kept her from hiring any help until it was absolutely necessary. But now that she had Emma, she couldn’t imagine a life without the extra help.

“Of course, dear. Come on, little cub. I’d say it's time you took a nap, what do you say?” Henry said, scooping Sam up from the bed, drawing a whine from the little boy. 

“But Papa,” He pouted. “I wanna hold Aunt Anne’s baby.” 

Henry chuckled, ruffling his hair lightly. “And you will after you’ve rested. You can’t get big and strong unless you rest, and don’t you want to be strong to hold the baby?” 

Sam nodded emphatically, eyes wide and earnest. Knowing his persuasion was successful, Henry set the boy on his hip, giving his wife a wink over his shoulder before leaving the room with Gilbert, shutting the door behind him. 

“It’s hard to believe I have one of my own now.” Anne said in disbelief as they unbuttoned their blouses to nurse. “It seems like just yesterday I got word that you were pregnant with Sam.” 

“To you it might,” Josie laughed. “But I feel every bit of the exhaustion of four babies in four years.” 

“I would take that up with Henry then, he does know how they’re made, right?” Anne joked, and Josie snorted. 

“I’d say it’s his favorite activity.” She said with a roll of her eyes. “I think I’m going to try and convince him that we’ll survive if I don’t get pregnant again right away. I don’t think I’m ready to be done having children just yet, but I would like to have Charles and Thomas out of cribs before having another.” 

“And maybe the next one will be a girl.” Anne giggled, earning herself a pinch from Josie. 

“I quite like being a mother of all boys, thank you very much. I’m afraid that if I were to have a girl she would make me pay for how wretched I was as a child.” She said, sticking her nose in the air snobbishly, dropping the act a moment later as they dissolved into giggles. 

The two women lapsed into a comfortable silence then, more than content to sit together as they nursed their babies, both quietly reminiscing on everything that had happened to get them to the peaceful moment that they were in. 

__________

**January, 1901**

Anne sat at her desk, rubbing her temples in a vain attempt at dispelling the tension that had settled there. To say that she was stressed would be a massive understatement. School had started several weeks prior and her professors had not held back with heaping loads upon loads of readings and assignments as soon as the semester started, leaving her floundering under the weight of her coursework. Not only that, but she had acquired a job at the library to make ends meet- feeling horribly guilty for accepting the money Gilbert gave her to pay for her accommodations at the boarding house. She knew he had his own expenses, and the money from the orchard and his apprenticeship with Emily only did so much, and there was no reason to add more financial strain to him. 

In addition to the physical exhaustion and stress, she also carried the emotional stress that had accumulated over the course of Christmas break. She had not heard from Josie since their talk in the kitchen before she had left for Toronto, and the stress of not knowing where her friend was or what she was doing had kept her awake many nights while she prayed fervently that Henry had done something to get her friend away from the nightmare that she was living in. 

As important as Josie was to her, her current stress was on a much more pressing matter. 

It had been nearly a month since she last saw Matthew and Marilla, and she had been ill on more than one occasion thinking about the harrowing state in which she had left her guardians. She and Marilla had a horrible row right before she and Gilbert had left for Toronto, and ever since that night, Anne had been at a complete loss for words. How did she even begin to right the wrongs that she had caused? What could she say that would soothe the ache and get rid of the shame she had brought to the people that had chosen her and loved her even when the rest of the world told them they were mad to do so? 

She had sat down so many times in a vain attempt to try and find the words that would fix everything, but time and time again she was left with crumbled papers with half-written notes along with even more frustration and woe than she had when she started. 

“You alright, hun?” Stella asked, poking her head into Anne’s room. Anne huffed, blowing a strand of hair out of her face as she looked up to her friend. 

“No, I’m not.” She said, and Stella frowned, stepping into the room and perching herself on the edge of the bed. 

“Letter writing again?” She asked, and Anne nodded once, pulling out a fresh piece of paper. 

“Unsuccessfully, as usual.” She said glumly, looking down at the clean paper, running her fingertips over it. “Honestly at this point, I might as well just visit home to have this conversation. I’m not even sure the emotions that I’m feeling can be contained within a single letter.” 

“I don’t disagree with you, that might not be a terrible idea if you can make it home for a spell sometime soon.” Stella said with a heavy sigh, knowing just how much stress she had been under since arriving in Nova Scotia. When Anne had arrived back at her boarding house, weary from the long journey from Toronto and already missing Gilbert horribly, she had barely held herself together long enough to have Phil join her, Stella, and Prissy before she broke down into a heap of sobs and sniffles. To say that her friends were shocked when she finally choked out the words, “I’m married”, holding up her left hand as proof, would be a horrific understatement. None of them were aware of the more salacious aspects of her and Gilbert’s relationship, and so when she told them the full story, she earned herself scandalized looks from all of them (save for Phil, who just looked sad at the unfortunate turn of events.) Despite their shock, they still proved to be incredible friends, taking the information in stride and doing everything in their power to comfort Anne in her distress. 

“I just feel terrible, Stella. How could I have been so careless of their feelings? I never thought that my actions could affect them so horribly.” She sighed sadly, a tear falling onto the paper in front of her, warping the stationary slightly. She wiped at her eyes, sniffling quietly. 

“I don’t know what to tell you, my dear. We can’t change the past, all we can do is learn from it and try to move forward.” She said gently, reaching out to take Anne’s hand in hers, giving it a light squeeze. “Now, I actually came in here with a purpose. I have some good news for you, would you like to hear it?” 

“Yes please, I feel like these days I need to hear as many good things as I can.” She said with a heavy sigh, squeezing Stella’s hand back as her shoulders drooped with exhaustion. Stella gave her a small smile and reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out an envelope and holding it out. 

“This just arrived in the post, I thought you might be happy to see it.” Stella said. 

Anne’s heart leapt into her throat when her eyes landed on the familiar script on the front, and despite how rude it was, she snatched the letter from Stella’s hands, running her fingers gingerly over the writing on the front, tracing the delicate handwriting that belonged to Josie Pye. 

“I’ll give you a minute.” Stella said softly, standing up from her spot on the bed and making her way out of the room. She stopped in the doorway, resting her hand on the frame and offering Anne a reassuring smile before she left. “Why don’t you come find me when you’re done? We’ll go get something to eat.” 

Anne nodded absentmindedly, her mind a million miles away as she stared down at the envelope. She barely registered the door closing, and without any hesitation she broke the seal on the envelope, hurriedly pulling out the folded up pages. 

Her eyes began to well up with tears before she even began reading, and she didn’t try to stem them as she skimmed quickly over the letter, her heart pounding vigorously in her chest. She didn’t hold back her sobs of relief when her eyes landed on the beautiful, glorious sentence that said, _You should know that my name is Josie Tremblay now, and I join you amongst the ranks of married women._

Josie was safe. She was with Henry, and Gilbert, in Toronto and was out of Avonlea. She was with people that loved and cared for her, and Anne could not have asked for anything better. She struggled to control her tears and breathing as she tried to continue reading, eventually setting it down for a moment to compose herself before picking it up once she had calmed down enough to finish the letter. 

When she had finished reading, she quickly wiped at her eyes with the back of her hands, drying her face off as best she could before picking up her pen and turning to the blank piece of paper that still sat on her desk. 

She might not have the words for Matthew and Marilla yet, but she had more than a few for her friend, and she couldn’t wait a moment more to share them with her. 

  
  



	2. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I was so excited to read what everyone had to say about the first chapter, and I'm so glad you guys like it so far! To clarify a few things: the fic started in October 1906, with Anne and Gilbert visiting Josie and Henry to meet their 4th son, and to introduce their 1st child to the Tremblays. Obviously I couldn't put the date in because the point was to bamboozle everyone, but from now on I will be specifying when everything takes place by the date being shown in bold, because we're going to be hopping around a good deal to cover the five-ish years between the time skips. I hope that clarifies things, but let me know if there's still any confusion with the timeline!

**January 1901**

“Good afternoon, Miss Cuthbert. You are looking positively radiant today.” Roy said, falling into step beside her as she walked through campus. She sighed in annoyance, peeling off her glove and holding up her left hand. 

“Must be the newlywed bliss, I’m Mrs. Blythe now.” She said, looking at him out of the corner of her eye to see his reaction. He had stopped walking beside her, slack jawed and mouth hanging open in shock. 

“I beg your pardon?” He asked, and Anne smiled with twisted satisfaction as she turned, blinking at him innocently. 

“I’m sorry, did I mumble?” She said, taking a step forward and holding out her hand once more. “I’m married now, to my beau that I have told you about over and over again since the moment we met, otherwise known as the love of my life. How could you possibly be surprised?” 

“I-I… why?” He asked, stumbling over his words. Anne kept her composure, not wanting to let him know just how much pleasure she was getting from watching the man squirm. 

“Because we love each other, and that is what people in love do?” She said, looking down longingly at her beautiful ring that sat on her left hand. Even though she still struggled with the circumstances that made her quick marriage necessary, she couldn’t deny that she loved looking down at her left hand and seeing her ring resting on her finger. It still made her heart skip the same way it did when she tried it on playfully in Gilbert’s room only two days before they got engaged. 

“But why in the middle of the school year? I was under the impression that you weren’t even engaged when term ended in December.” 

“Perhaps it's because you spend more time talking than listening, Mr. Gardner.” She responded, hoping that the slight didn’t go unnoticed. Unfortunately, it appeared that it went right over his head, proving her point to be correct as he stammered more. 

“That doesn’t make any sense!” Roy said, throwing his hands in the air, frustration seeping through his usually cool exterior as a few passerbyers stopped to observe the scene. “There must have been some sort of scandal, there had to have been! Anne, are you pregnant?” 

After knowing the man for close to six agonizingly long months, and wanting a good excuse to slap him for most of it, the satisfaction Anne got when her hand connected with his cheek was more than she ever could have imagined. 

“ _ How dare you!”  _ She yelled with an offended gasp, trying to ignore the stinging in her hand and hide the fact that it was actually quite painful to slap someone. “Royal Gardner, I thought your mother would have raised you better than to ask a woman if she was expecting. And to even  _ insinuate  _ that I may be of loose morals is beyond insulting. Shame on you.” 

She huffed, tugging on her glove as Roy cradled his cheek, which bore quite an impressive looking handprint, and Anne felt a bubble of pride well up in her chest. She couldn’t wait to tell Gilbert, she was sure he would enjoy hearing the story. 

Clearing her throat, Anne took a step towards him, lowering her voice so that the crowd that had amassed could not hear her. “And not that it is any of your business, but I was a blushing bride the day I got married.” A half-truth, but Anne let it slide for the principle of it all. “So no, Royal, I am not pregnant. Or at least I wasn’t when I got married. That might not be the case now, after a very nice honeymoon being _ thoroughly _ and  _ repeatedly _ ravished by my husband. Now, unless you’d like to take the matter up with Gilbert the next time he visits me, then I suggest that you please do as I have asked of you for months now and  _ leave me alone. _ ” 

With that, she turned and stomped off, feeling like the cat who got the cream as she made her way to class, her stinging hand a reminder of her victory the whole way there. 

* * *

_ January 29, 1901 _

_ My Dearest Gilbert,  _

_ I have so many exciting things to tell you.  _

_ The first is that I slapped Royal Gardner into the next century this afternoon. I’ve been wanting to hit him for as long as I’ve known him, and he finally gave me an excuse to do so. I told him today that I was (very blissfully) married after he approached me once again pretending that I was not in a relationship. He was absolutely mind boggled, and deduced that there was no way I could have gotten married so quickly unless there was some sort of scandal. Would you believe the gall of that man, asking me if I was pregnant in the middle of campus? The nerve of some people. Don’t worry, I slapped him so hard for his impudence that his head spun… but if you would like to come visit and make a gesture of your own, I wouldn’t complain. I’m still quite vexed even now, several hours later (and my hand still hurts a good deal, I didn’t know slapping someone would be so painful. I dare say it was completely worth it though) Hopefully, the fact that I am firmly off the market and smacked the stuffing out of him will be enough for him to finally understand that I am not, and will not, be interested in him.  _

_ Moving on to other matters, I was sitting at my desk just a few minutes ago, anguishing over how to apologize to Marilla and Matthew for the trials that I have forced them to endure in the aftermath of the Christmas panto debacle, and while I am still at a complete loss as to how I can even begin to right the wrongs I have brought upon my family, my sorrow was broken by the most wonderful letter from the beautiful Mrs. Josie Tremblay.  _

_ Didn’t I tell you that Henry was going to Avonlea to get her!? I hate to say I knew it, but Gilbert, I knew it! Truthfully, I’m blown away that she said yes. We didn’t talk about it much, and I’m sure you understand well enough now living with her, but since her assault, Josie has become very reserved and wary of most everyone, men especially. I believe that somewhere within her, she has at least a little affection for Henry, but I think she is too scared to admit it to anyone, including herself. So frankly, I’m surprised she said yes to his proposal, but I think that the fact that she did marry him is a very, very good sign. Henry is a wonderful man, and I can only hope that with time she can learn to trust him and be happy in her marriage. I know that I don’t have to say this, as I am sure you are already doing so without me having to tell you, but keep an eye out for her, will you? While I don’t truly believe that Henry has any ulterior motives... Josie was my friend first, and ultimately my loyalties lie with her. Don’t be afraid to set him straight, should he need it.  _

_ In the same vein, I have enclosed a letter for Henry in this envelope. Will you make sure he receives it discreetly? Josie would have my head if she knew I wrote to Henry about her, but I feel that it is only fair that he knows what he is getting into. If he is to care for and love her properly, he should be prepared for the unique aspects of her that need to be taken into account. All that being said, please find a way to deliver the letter to him without Josie knowing.  _

_ Have I mentioned yet that I am madly in love with you? If I thought being away from you was wretched before, now that we are one in body, soul, and spirit, the distance is infinitely more difficult. I miss you terribly, and have missed you every moment since I stepped on the train in Toronto. Every night when I close my eyes, I think of the blissful week we spent together in your beautiful Toronto. I think of falling asleep wrapped in your arms and waking up beside you in the mornings, I think of how you made love to me night after night (I will say that, thankfully, a child did not result from our copious coupling, though I did fib a little to Roy and tell him that though I was not pregnant when we got married, that it was entirely possible now because of how thoroughly and frequently you made love to me on our honeymoon. Of course, I knew that wasn’t exactly the case since I have bled since leaving Toronto, but what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him, now will it?) Anyways, I think frequently of how wonderful it felt being in your arms as we were joined together as husband and wife. It was better than anything I could have imagined...would you think me a harlot if I told you that I look forward to the next time we’re together so we can do it again (and again...and again…)  _

_ I will be having a week break from classes in late April, I know it is still a ways off, but would you begin thinking about whether or not I might be able to visit you then? I know you will still be taking classes, and I wouldn’t dream of pushing you to truancy, but we could spend the evenings and nights together, and I could keep Josie company during the day and play catch up with my dear friend. Please let me know, and I will start putting away extra pennies and nickels to make such a trip a reality!  _

_ I hope that your semester has been off to a better start than mine. My professors are seemingly conspiring against me in order to assignment work and due dates at the most inconvenient times. Do they not understand that we students have other classes outside of theirs? And that if all of them are assigning over twenty pages of readings every night, then we students will constantly be up to our eyeballs in work, leaving no time for work or play? It’s endlessly frustrating, but I’m immensely grateful for the days that I’m stationed behind the rotation desk at the library, that way I can stealthily read for class while also working on assignments. I will say that I do enjoy my job, and there is something distinctly magical about the stacks of books and the quiet reverence of a library. It’s almost like a church, there is something worshipful about the space dedicated to poetic literature and the pursuit of knowledge. Of course, it is strange going by Anne Cuthbert there, seeing as I am proudly Mrs. Blythe, but I know you understand the need to fib about my marital status. It’s positively backwards that in the year 1901 married women are barred from working. My fervent prayer is that by the time I leave Redmond with my degree, these small minded policies will have changed and I will be able to work for as long as possible before we start a family together (though I fully accept and believe that we should take every possible measure to wait until we are out of school to do so.)  _

_ I eagerly wait for your response, my love. Spare no detail of what has happened since the last time I have seen you, and give the Tremblays (!!!) my love.  _

_ Your loving and devoted wife,  _

_ Anne  _

* * *

_ February 8, 1901  _

_ My Beautiful Anne,  _

_ I will never get tired of hearing the title in which you signed off your last letter. My wife. My Anne. Mrs. Anne Blythe. I could fill up page after page of paper to see it written in print. I find myself whispering it to myself in disbelief that now you walk the streets of Kingsport as a Blythe, bearing my family name. It brings me a sense of pride that I have never experienced before.  _

_ As you could probably guess, things in Toronto have certainly been...interesting. It seems like we have a viper as a roommate, and one can never be sure when they are going to strike, or for what reason. I know you and Josie are very close, and I certainly understand her behavior knowing what has happened to her, but it is certainly trying on both mine and Henry’s patience. The poor man is so patient with her, and sometimes his patience is rewarded with her being agreeable, but more often than not she shuts herself away in Henry’s bedroom and only comes out when the apartment is empty, and sometimes for meals. Henry and Josie do go on walks every day when Henry is done with classes, and I truly do think that it will do wonders for raising her comfort level around him, but seeing as how it has only been three weeks since they got married and actually began spending time together, it seems like this process will be an incredibly slow one. In the meantime though, she’s an absolute terror if you catch her at the wrong moment- and it seems like most moments are the wrong ones. For example, yesterday afternoon when I got home from class I asked if she had picked up shaving soap for both Henry and I when she went to the store, and her response was, “I’m not your wife or your maid, you can buy your own damn soap.” I wasn’t sure what to say in the moment when she snapped at me and let the subject drop, and when I came home today I found a tin of shaving soap on my desk, so I suppose that was the olive branch being extended. (Though when I thanked her for it a few minutes ago she rolled her eyes at me, but I still consider this a small victory.)  _

_ Also, I had a talk with Henry about the behavior that is expected of him in regards to Josie, and he very adamantly assured me that he would never do anything to hurt or disrespect her, and that he was incredibly offended that I would even think of such a thing, let alone feel the need to speak to him about it. (He was so angry with me that he actually swore like a sailor during the verbal lashing, which was incredibly surprising. He’s not one to swear-or even yell- all that much, so I knew that I had messed up when he started cursing.) So, rest assured that he will treat Josie with the utmost care and respect. I think he was hurt by my insinuation that he might do something untoward, so I will not be questioning his motives again. I do believe that he truly loves her, I can only hope that he doesn’t get too discouraged with her prickly-and sometimes hostile- attitudes. I did deliver the letter you enclosed to him, and he was very appreciative of it.  _

_ Onto other affairs: can I say I have never been more aroused in my life than reading about how you slapped that cad? The thought of you putting him in his place and letting him know in no uncertain terms that you are a taken woman and will not tolerate such disrespect makes me feel incredibly hot under the collar. Let it be known that I would have paid good money to have been there and seen you set him straight. It almost makes me wish I had sent you back to school with a baby in you, just so he could see your stomach grow and grow and know for a fact that I had made love to you. (It's a terrible thing to want, I know, and I would never intentionally sabotage your education like that. I am incredibly relieved to hear that you did not fall pregnant as a result of our honeymoon, but it does give me a strange sense of satisfaction thinking about Royal Gardner having to sit back and watch your belly grow round with another man’s child, knowing that he will never have you and know you the way I have.) While I hope you have done enough at this point to let this man know that you are absolutely NOT interested in him, please let me know if he continues to bother you. I might have to arrange a visit down to Kingsport to meet this fellow myself if he pesters you anymore, especially knowing now that you are a married woman.  _

_ While I am mostly joking about coming to Kingsport to intimidate Mr. Gardner, let it be known that I am not joking at all when I say that I will do everything in my power to make it possible for you to come to Toronto in April. There’s no need for you to save up your pennies, I’ll send you money for the journey as it gets closer. I would sell everything in the apartment (including Henry’s beloved hair pomade) if it meant that I could have you in my arms once more. I don’t sleep well now that I know what it’s like to have you beside me as we sleep, and that if I wanted to, I could reach out and pull you into my embrace. Tell me, my darling Anne, do you struggle to find sleep when you lie alone in your bed night after night? (And if you sleep just fine without me, please lie to me so I feel less pathetic for such a thing.)  _

_ Please send me more details about your break so that I can begin making arrangements, I’m sure Emily will insist on seeing you at least once (though between her and Josie, part of me fears that I’ll hardly get to see you!) and perhaps I can take you on a tour through campus, since it was so rainy and miserable when you visited in the fall. Thankfully this time when you visit, we won’t have to ask Henry to make himself scarce for a few hours, though I’m sure he’d get so embarrassed even thinking of what could be going on in our room that he would just leave anyways. He’s such a modest man, and frankly, it’s almost too easy to get under his skin.  _

_ In regards to how my semester is going... I dare say that it is similar to yours. A lot of work, and very little time for anything else. It is hard to believe that I am only in my second year, and that my classes will only continue getting more difficult and intensive as time goes on. It seems like my time is spent either in class, at the library, or working with Emily. I have spent more nights than I’m willing to admit in the library, and have become very familiar with using the tables as a place to rest my head for a few moments, only to wake up with the grumpy clerk or janitor kicking me out after falling asleep there. I’ve woken up poor Henry many times walking into the apartment in the wee hours of the morning, and I swear he has a heart attack every time. I can only hope that things get better, but the future looks bleak. I suppose I should just accept that I am going to be worked like a dog for the next four and a half years and begin searching for ways to maintain my sanity until I graduate.  _

_ I love you, my dearest Anne. I miss you every waking moment, and I can hardly wait until this next time you are in my arms (and my bed) once again.  _

_ Your loving and devoted husband,  _

_ Gilbert  _

  
  



	3. Three

**October, 1906**

“Careful, son. Watch her head.” Henry said patiently as Gilbert set Hazel into the waiting arms of Sam Tremblay, his little face scrunched up in hyper-focus and determination. 

“I know, Papa.” Sam said, voice quiet and serious as he looked down at the tiny bundle that he had been given, reaching out to delicately touch Hazel’s chubby cheek. “She’s little.” 

Sitting on the couch opposite Sam, Henry, and Gilbert sat Josie and Anne, both of them teary eyed as they watched the sweet scene unfold in front of them. 

“I’ve never seen him so intrigued with a baby, he usually doesn’t give a hoot about his little brothers.” Josie whispered to Anne, who giggled quietly. 

“He’s probably never seen a baby this small and he’s fascinated by her, that’s why.” Henry said with an impish grin, giving Gilbert another teasing look, obviously making good use of a joke he had been waiting a very long time to make. 

“Will you cut that out?” Gilbert grouched. 

“You’re the one who started it, buddy. Shouldn’t have said anything when Sam was born, and I wouldn’t have a reason to make comments now.” He said, reaching over Sam, who was still absolutely captivated by Hazel and not paying any attention to the men that sat on either side of him, to pat Gilbert on the back. 

“Doesn’t it bother you when he says things like that, Anne?” Gilbert asked, shooting Anne a pleading look. Anne just giggled, shaking her head. 

“Not a bit. You should’ve known he wasn’t going to let this go.” She said. 

**July 1902**

Henry looked downright exhausted when he answered the door and was a great deal more rumpled than usual, his shirt wrinkled and hair sticking up in every direction, with a curious stain on his shoulder. Yet he also looked exuberantly joyful, wearing a proud, beaming smile on his face as he opened the door to his house. 

“Gilbert, Anne, I’m so glad you two made it here safely.” He said, opening his arms to pull Anne into a hug. She couldn’t help but smile as she hugged the new father, patting his back gently. 

“We’re so glad we could come visit at such short notice, but if we waited any longer we would’ve had to visit separately because of school.” Anne said, and Henry waved off her concern. 

“Josie and I both knew that hell nor high water would keep you away once the baby was born. I’m surprised you didn’t hop on the first train out of Avonlea once you got the telegram.” He chuckled, and Anne just shrugged, a mischievous smile on her face as Gilbert pulled his friend into a tight hug. 

“Congratulations, Henry. Fatherhood looks good on you.” Gilbert said with a large smile, clapping his friend on the back as Henry laughed. 

“You can say I look tired, I won’t be offended. My son has lungs of steel and likes to make good use of them in the wee hours of the morning.” He said, leading the couple into the house. 

“Henry dear? Are they here?” Josie called from somewhere in the house, stepping into the kitchen a moment later, looking tired but happy. Anne squealed happily at the sight of her friend, stepping forward to wrap her in a tight hug. 

“Congratulations Josie, I was thrilled when we got the telegram announcing his birth.” Anne said, pressing a light kiss to Josie’s cheek before pulling away and beaming at her friend. 

“For once, she’s making the situation sound much less dramatic than it was.” Gilbert said with a snort. “She sobbed like a lunatic, I thought someone had died.” 

Anne rolled her eyes at her husband while their friends laughed, unsurprised at Anne’s reaction. Henry excused himself then, grabbing their bags from them to take to their room as Josie smiled at the two of them.

“Well, I won’t make you wait a moment more to meet him. You arrived at the perfect time actually, he just woke up from a nap.” Josie said happily, leading them to the parlor where a moses basket rested on the couch. Anne made no attempt to hide her excitement over the baby she had been waiting so long to meet, squealing as she leaned over the basket, gasping in awe of the child lying in it. 

“Oh Josie, he’s beautiful! The most handsome baby I have ever seen by far!” She cooed, sitting down on the couch beside the basket to stare at the baby. 

“I’m inclined to agree with you.” Josie chuckled, sitting on the other side of the basket, gently stroking her son’s forehead. Gilbert smiled, taking a step closer to look at the infant, his jaw dropping when his eyes fell on the baby. 

“My God, how old did you say he was?” He asked, eyes wide as he looked up at Josie. She raised an eyebrow up at him, giving him an amused look. 

“He’s five weeks, why? Is there something wrong with my son, Gilbert?” She asked, almost challenging him to say something offensive about her baby. He shook his head dumbly, still in shock as he looked up to where Henry had entered the room. 

“Henry, this is without a doubt your son.” He chuckled in disbelief, and Henry snorted. 

“What makes you say that?” He said curiously, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Because this is the biggest infant I’ve ever seen!” He exclaimed in disbelief. “He looks like he’s about to shake my hand and offer me a cigar!” 

“I’m not sure if I should maim you for that comment or not.” Josie said flatly, thoroughly unamused by Gilbert’s observations. 

“Will you shut your trap, Gilbert?” Anne chimed in with a roll of her eyes. “One of the foundational rules of life is to never say anything bad about babies. If you do, you’re liable to be hit by the mother.” 

“And by the father.” Henry added, and Anne nodded in agreement. Gilbert simply held his hands up in surrender, still blown away by how big Sam Tremblay was. 

“Josie,” Anne said once the moment had passed, a giddy smile on her face as she turned to her friend. “I fear that if I don’t hold this baby right now, my heart might burst.” 

Josie laughed, reaching into the basket to lift Sam up, passing him off gently to Anne, who cooed softly as she cradled him in her arms. 

“Oh hello there, Mr. Tremblay.” She giggled quietly, completely forgetting about everyone else in the room the moment he was in her arms. “You are quite a handsome fellow, aren’t you? You look just like your papa, yes you do! But I see a little bit of your mother in there as well!” She looked up then, a wide smile on her face as she looked up at her husband. “Gilbert, I’m dropping out of school. I want one of these as soon as possible.” 

Gilbert blanched, his eyes going wide at the sudden change of heart. “Anne, I-” 

Anne cut him off with laughter, bouncing the baby lightly in her arms as she quickly dispelled his fears. “Calm down, you fuddy duddy. I’m kidding...mostly.” 

(Unsurprisingly, her words did little to calm the panic that she had induced from her statement.) 

* * *

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile this much. It’s a good look.” Gilbert said later that day as he and Henry rode around the ranch seeing the improvements and changes that had taken place since the last time Gilbert had visited over Thanksgiving during their first year at U of T. He had no way of knowing back then that the next time he would visit, just shy of two years later, he would return with his wife with the purpose of meeting Henry’s firstborn son. If he thought about it too much, it made his head spin at just how quickly all of their lives had changed. Still, he couldn’t say that he was upset about it all at the end of the day. 

“Can you blame me? My wife is healthy and strong after an easy pregnancy, and my son is the same. I’m a blessed man.” Henry said proudly, chest puffed up as he sat up straighter on his horse, his shoulders held back. “It still sounds wild just saying it. My son. I can hardly believe it, I have a _son_.” 

“And a beautiful one at that.” Gilbert added, and Henry nodded, his smile growing wider. 

“I fell in love with Josie the moment I laid eyes on her at the county fair in Avonlea,” He said, thinking back on that day and how his heart had skipped a beat when he walked up to Anne's group of friends and saw the most beautiful woman that walked the earth. “And I didn’t think it was possible to love someone quicker than that, but I was more in love than I have ever could have imagined before he was even in my arms.” 

“I can imagine. I can only hope I get to experience the same someday.” Gilbert said, and Henry offered him another encouraging smile. 

“You will, when the time is right.” He said with conviction, and Gilbert couldn’t help but nod in agreement, thinking about how Anne had looked earlier in the day holding baby Sam, completely in awe of the infant in her arms. His mind substituted the image of Sam with another baby, smaller and more fair, with a smattering of red hair and deep hazel eyes. His heart grew warm in his chest at the thought of his wife holding their child, and he longed for the day that the image his imagination had conjured up would be a reality. 

“Were you frightened at all? Before the birth?” Gilbert asked carefully after a moment, wanting to pick his friend’s brain as he thought about how his own mother met her demise giving birth to him. 

“Incredibly.” He answered quickly, his tone growing somber. “We talked a great deal about what would happen, should things take a turn for the worse. Which frankly, was absolutely horrifying to think of. It was no fun. Josie told me that she would haunt me if I didn’t remarry if she died giving birth, and I didn’t like that at all. We actually had a little row over it. I told her it wasn’t funny, and she told me that I was worrying too much, but truthfully I don’t know what I would do without her.” 

“Well, let’s just be thankful that both she and Sam are well.” Gilbert said, and Henry nodded. 

“I am.” He said, chuckling to himself as the mood shifted to something more lighthearted. “Say, we haven’t told you his full name, have we?” 

Gilbert thought for a moment, his eyebrows furrowing together as he combed his brain for the information, thinking he might have scanned over his name in the letter Henry had sent him announcing Sam’s arrival. 

“No,” He finally said once he was certain he had not overlooked such a detail. “I don’t suppose you have.” 

Henry gave him a large smile, clearing his throat. “As Josie and I were discussing names for the baby, we decided that we wanted to name him after strong men. Obviously Samuel is taken from my father, and his middle name is for the man who changed both Josie and I’s lives.” 

Gilbert gave his friend an odd look then, raising an eyebrow up at his friend, confused by how he was being intentionally vague. Henry was usually not one to beat around the bush, which only made his long-winded speech all the more curious. 

“What are you getting at, Henry? Come on, out with it.” He asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. Henry laughed, throwing his head back. 

“Alright, you bastard. His full name is Samuel Gilbert Tremblay. You know I’m not one to be sentimental, but just this once I would like you to know just how much I am thankful for the impact you have had in my life. You’re a good man and an even better friend, and my life would look much different right now if I had never met you. You brought Josie into my life, and now I have a son to show for it, so thank you.” Henry said, and if Gilbert didn’t know better, he would have thought that the other man had gotten choked up during his speech. If he noticed the watery look in Henry’s eye, he didn’t mention it in favor of processing the news that had just been delivered to him. 

“You named your son after me.” He said in disbelief, not able to even make a joke about it. The gravity of the gesture hit him heavily, and Gilbert had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop his eyes from watering as he thought of the baby in a completely different light. 

Samuel _Gilbert._

It was something so simple as a name, _his_ name, that he had never thought much about before. He didn’t feel strongly one way or another about it, not the way that Anne thought her name was plain and boring. Gilbert was simply his name, and that was that. But now, everything was different. He was intertwined with the Tremblay family in a way that could never be broken or bent, and now matter how far away he was from the small farmhouse in Ottawa, he was stamped into their lives for the rest of time. He felt as if now he had very big shoes to fill, to truly be the man that Henry and Josie saw him as, to be an example and live up to the expectation that had been bestowed on him when his friends decided to name their firstborn after him. 

“Henry-” He started, his voice cracking with emotion, and his friend was quick to hold up a hand, stopping him before he could even start. 

“Don’t you dare cry on me, Gilbert Blythe.” He said firmly, though his words lacked any real heat and his eyes held a twinkle of mirth. 

“Fine.” He said, clearing his throat as he fought to compose himself. “I suppose I’ll just say thank you and leave it at that.” 

Henry smiled. “Good, I wouldn’t want it any other way. Now, I’ll race you back to the barn, I miss my son and would like to pay him a visit.” 

Gilbert chuckled, rolling his eyes. It couldn’t have been over an hour since they had left the house, Josie and Anne barely acknowledging them as they made their leave, too caught up in fawning over Samuel, cooing and making faces at the baby as he laid on a quilt on the floor. 

“How do you get any work done if you can’t go fifteen minutes without looking at your son?” Gilbert asked, and Henry simply shrugged and gave him the same lopsided smile he had worn all afternoon. 

“I don’t.” He answered, and with that he took off like a shot on his horse, and Gilbert could only laugh as he spurred his horse onwards, chasing the man as fast as he could so they could return to their families. 

* * *

**October, 1906**

Anne’s heart felt as if it were about to burst, watching on as tears rolled down her cheeks every so often. It was downright adorable, watching Sam hold Hazel with such tenderness and care, his eyes locked onto her tiny face. 

“He’s been so excited even since I told him you were expecting,” Josie whispered, not wanting to break the trance that had settled over the room. “I think he wanted a little sister, so he was downright giddy when we got the telegram saying that it was a girl. Part of me wonders if he understands that Hazel isn’t his sister.” 

“Perhaps cousins.” Anne suggested quietly, a conspiratorial look on her face. “I’m sure after growing up beside each other they’ll think that they’re kin, even though there’s no blood between them.”

Josie smiled back at her. “I quite like the sound of that.” 

“I can take her, if you don’t want to hold her anymore.” Gilbert said after a few minutes, reaching out to take Hazel from the little boy’s lap. 

“No!” Sam cried, his arms tightening around Hazel. “I want to hold her, Mr. Gilbert! Hazy’s my baby.” 

The adults sniggered at the sweet declaration, the two mother’s melting all over again at the protective affection Sam was showing for Hazel and the positively precious mispronunciation of her name. 

“But Sam,” Anne giggled, leaning forward towards the boy with a playful look in her eye. “Hazel’s _my_ baby. You have your little brothers, I only have Hazel.” 

“Mama says sharing is ‘portant.” Sam huffed, looking up at Anne with a pouty and troubled expression. “We’ll share Baby Hazy. You can has Baby Chip.” 

“She can _have_ Baby Chip, darling.” Josie corrected gently, and the four year old nodded pensively, taking the correction in stride as he turned his attention back to the baby. 

“At least you’re teaching him the importance of sharing and proper grammar.” Gilbert chuckled, giving Henry a light nudge while the other man watched on with an incredibly amused look. 

“Why do I feel like I’m going to pry my child out of his hands? He’s nearly as bad as Matthew, for goodness sake!” Anne said with a scoff of disbelief. 

“No one can be worse than Matthew. One time he took her for a walk around the farm and we found them asleep in the hayloft two hours later!” Gilbert guffawed, sending the group into riotous laughter, only to be shushed loudly by Sam, who gave them a dirty look as he covered Hazel’s ears with his little hands. 

“The baby’s sleeping!” He chastised. His scolding only spurred on the adults in the room, who lowered their volume slightly, endlessly amused by the protective little boy and the little baby in his arms.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to Jenni for the genius "He looks like he'll shake my hand and offer me a cigar!" line, I seriously laughed so hard when she said it and I knew I would have to include it lol. 
> 
> Also, to clear up any confusion, Chip is a nickname for Charles (so Chip=Charles)


	4. Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: mentions of miscarriage in the second portion of the chapter. 
> 
> Also it won't be mentioned until the end of the chapter but I'm mentioning it now to avoid confusion: Stepney Creek is where Anne and Gilbert live, it's a fictional town that is not mentioned in canon.

**May 1902**

Spring was upon them, bringing with it warmer days and a whole world technicolor as the earth woke up from it’s long, cold slumber. Anne was more than happy to be back in Avonlea to take in the beauty of it all, with three and a half blissful months with her family and Gilbert ahead of her. The break certainly held massive amounts of potential for excitement, between Diana’s wedding mid-May and Josie’s baby being due at the beginning of July, Anne certainly had lots to look forward to in the coming months. 

“I saw Josie Pye this morning walking with Ruby Gillis,” Rachel said one afternoon as she, Marilla, and Anne sat around the table at Green Gables one afternoon the week before Diana’s wedding, working on their own individual projects. Anne had brought a basket full of clothes with her that desperately needed mending, and was silently cursing as she tried unsuccessfully to thread a needle as Marilla cut out fabric for a new skirt for Anne, while Rachel did needlepoint. “What’s her married name now? Josie Tremble?” 

“Tremblay.” Anne corrected, swearing under her breath when she once again missed the eye of the needle. “ Her and her husband are staying with us at the orchard.” 

“Right, Tremblay. Anyways, I couldn’t help but notice that she’s in the family way. Good for her.” Rachel said with a satisfied look as Anne hummed in confirmation. 

“She’s due early July, thinks it’s a girl.” She said distractedly, still fumbling with the needle and thread.

“Well, isn’t that nice?” Marilla said lightly, brushing a strand of hair from her face, accidentally leaving a streak of chalk in its wake. “Her husband seems like a good fellow from the few times I’ve met him, they seem quite happy together despite the circumstances that predated their marriage. Perhaps we can make a quilt for her before the baby comes.” 

Rachel shot a pointed look towards Anne, who was still solely focused on threading the needle, not willing to ask for help. She waited until she finally succeeded in her task, holding up the needle triumphantly as she picked up a pair of trousers from her basket. Only once she began working on mending the item did Rachel clear her throat. 

“Well what about you and Gilbert, Anne dear? Can we expect to be making any quilts for the two of you anytime soon? Perhaps we can work on Josie’s and yours at the same time?” She said with a smile, not even trying to be subtle in her attempt to get information out of Anne. The redhead simply snorted, shaking her head dismissively. 

“No, but that is a kind offer.” 

“Rachel…” Marilla said warily, giving her a warning look.

“Oh come on now, there’s not even a possibility?” Rachel teased, brushing off her friend’s concern. 

Anne groaned in frustration, stopping her work as she looked up at the older woman in exasperation. “No, Rachel. I don’t let Gilbert finish inside of me, if you really must know.” She said bluntly, raising an eyebrow at her, as if she was challenging her to say something else. 

“Anne, please. There are some things a mother doesn’t want to know about her daughter.” Marilla asked, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath at Anne’s less than appropriate outburst. 

“Forgive me for being a little tired of being asked when we’re going to have a baby, but frankly it’s exhausting. We’ve been married a year and a half and it seems like everyone’s scandalized by the fact that he hasn’t put a baby in me yet. I have another two years at Redmond, and Gilbert has three more years at U of T. Neither of us have the time, nor the money for a child. Plus, we live hundreds of miles away from each other for most of the year, it's very hard for conception to occur when you only see your husband once every few months. We don’t want or need a baby right now, and honestly it would be a nightmare if an accident were to happen.” 

“Children aren’t accidents.” Rachel said offhandedly. 

“They are when you are actively working to make sure you don’t have one.” Anne mumbled, nearly crying with relief when Gilbert walked in from helping Matthew in the fields, moving to the water pump to clean off his hands.

“Afternoon ladies, what are you talking about in here?” He asked, his back to the trio as he scrubbed the dirt from under his nails. 

“Oh, nothing much. Just about how you don’t spill your seed inside of me.” Anne said facetiously, turning back to her mending as Marilla huffed, giving her a dirty look. 

“Excuse me?” Gilbert said, face pale as he rounded on her, hands dripping onto the floor. 

“Children, Gilbert. We’re talking about children.” Marilla said, voice full of exasperation, looking as if she wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole. 

“More accurately, how we do not want them right now. Rachel asked if I was sure that I wasn’t pregnant, and I told her very plainly that yes, we are sure, because your contribution to the equation doesn’t get to be acquainted with mine.” Anne said casually, as if she was talking about the weather. “But perhaps she doesn’t believe me, and that’s why she keeps asking. Maybe she’ll believe you. Why don’t you tell her all of the places you do enjoy finishing, rather than in my-” 

“ _Enough, Anne!”_ Marilla shouted, smacking her hands on the table loudly before hiding her face in her hands with an exasperated sigh. 

Anne looked up as she tied off the thread that she was using to mend the trousers, snipping the thread quickly as she took in the debacle she had made. Marilla looked positively scandalized, face red as a ripe tomato as she hid her face from the other people in the room. Rachel was giving her a disapproving look, and Gilbert stood by the water pump, hands still dripping on the floor as he stared at her slack jawed. Anne cleared her throat, setting aside the trousers as she stood up, smoothing out her skirt. 

“If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take a walk.” She said, leaving the two women behind as she grabbed her hat and husband before quickly walking out of the house. 

“You do realize that you crossed a line back there, right? Marilla looked like she might keel over.” Gilbert said with a laugh as they set off down the lane towards the orchard. Anne groaned, shoulders slumping as she gave him an exasperated look. 

“It’s just so frustrating!” She exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. “All Rachel asks about is when it’ll be our turn. When can she start making baby things, what I think about my friends having babies, if I’ve reconsidered moving to Toronto early. She brings it up everytime I’m home, and I’m sick of it! Marilla doesn’t ask, but I know she’s curious too, and that she wants a grandchild, even though she knows it’s a horrible time. I thought if I told her in very explicit terms that we are not interested at the moment that she might back off. If that didn’t work, I fear I might have to take even harsher measures.”

“What could be harsher than that, pray tell.” Gilbert asked, sounding as if he really didn’t want to know what his wife would do that could somehow be worse than the stunt she had just pulled.

“I’ll clean up with a dark rag and leave it on top of the laundry pile.” She said bitterly. 

“That’s just foul, Anne.” He said, wrinkling his nose in disgust. 

“If that’s what it takes for Rachel to leave me alone about having children, then I don’t care if it’s foul.” She said with a huff. “I love being home, I truly do, but Rachel drives me absolutely batty sticking her big nose into my business.” 

“I know she vexes you, and has vexed you for nearly a decade, but you can’t just blurt out our bedroom business to Rachel and Marilla. It’s not appropriate, and frankly, a little embarrassing for everyone involved.” Gilbert reasoned, his face tinged pink, proving his point. 

“I thought their reactions were quite funny.” Anne said, sticking her nose in the air and marching forward determinately towards their home. 

“I’m afraid you’re the only one who thinks so, darling.” Gilbert muttered, shaking his head at his spitfire of a wife as he followed her down the lane. 

Later that day, Gilbert learned that Anne was not the only one who thought her antics were funny. 

“I can’t believe you actually said that, Anne!” Josie cried, a tear rolling down her cheek as she held her stomach in one hand, doubled over with laughter. “That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard! Oh my word, I need to stop laughing!” 

“She’s not kidding, she wet herself last month because she got in a laughing fit with my sister. Ida was only a few days away from going into labor, and she laughed so hard she had an accident as well.” Henry whispered to Gilbert, and the two chortled, knowing that Josie would rip Henry’s head off if she knew he had told. 

“I’m sure you understand how annoying it is just as much as I do!” Anne laughed, clutching onto her friend from where they were sitting on the couch, still beside themselves with laughter. 

“Oh, don’t I know it,” Josie said with a giggle. “I almost killed Henry’s mother ten times over because she wouldn’t leave me alone about it!” 

“Not an exaggeration.” Henry muttered with amusement as he thought back on the many times he had single handedly prevented a civil war between the two women. 

“If only I was as clever as you, Anne, then I could have said the same thing!” Josie said, sending them back into a fit of laughter that had Josie running (well really, it was more of a waddle) out of the room a moment later, the door to her and Henry’s room slamming shut as she made a mad dash for the commode, an absolutely ridiculous sight that had her friends laughing even once she returned, red as a beet. 

“Just wait until it’s your turn, Anne.” She grouched, crossing her arms over her chest as she settled back down on the couch. “Then you won’t be laughing one bit.” 

“But until then I won’t even begin to understand your plight, my dear friend.” She giggled, reaching out to tap her nose playfully, only to receive a hard swat on the arm and a dirty look from her crotchety friend. 

* * *

A few days later when Anne retold the story to Diana as she got ready for her wedding, she thought the story was just as funny. 

“I can’t believe you said that, Anne!” Ruby said, looking completely scandalized by Anne’s brazen statements as Diana laughed, completely unsurprised that her friend had said such a thing. “I think I would positively die if I even _thought_ of talking about reproduction in front of my mother!” 

“I wasn’t talking about _reproduction_ , that was the point. Rachel can’t seem to understand that some people might do it just for fun.” Anne tittered, sending the four women into a fit of giggles. 

“So what was it for you, Josie? Fun or reproduction?” Diana teased, making the blonde woman send her a mischievous look from where she lounged on the bed, her bare feet elevated under a mountain of pillows. 

“Both.” She said with a shrug as the women guffawed and squealed. 

“You’ll understand the struggle soon enough, my dear Diana. I’m willing to put money on your mother asking you about grandchildren within a week of returning from your honeymoon.” Anne said, pinching her friend lightly. 

“And if she asks how you’re feeling, or if you’ve felt off, that counts. Old biddies sure do know how to be subtle. Heaven knows if there was a roundabout way to ask, my mother in law used it.” Josie added with a snort, and Anne nodded in confirmation. 

“It’s so strange to think about,” Diana said with a chuckle. “That by the end of the day I’ll be Mrs. Diana Wright. I could be _pregnant_ by the time the night is over.” 

Ruby sighed wistfully. “Oh, watching you girls be married and having babies makes me frightfully jealous. It’ll be another year until Moody becomes a minister, and that seems like an eternity!” 

Josie tittered, running her hands over her belly. “Your turn is coming, Ruby. But if you want to get married sooner, Anne and I know all about how to arrange a quick marriage, I’m sure she could give you some tips on the method.” 

Anne threw a pillow at her for the comment, earning a shriek of laughter from her as she ducked to dodge it at the same moment Eliza Barry came in to kick them out so final preparations could be made, and with kisses blown and a team effort to get Josie’s shoes back on, the trio departed, leaving their friend, knowing that the next time they spoke she would be a married woman. 

**October 1906**

Gilbert and Anne had been in Ottawa for two days before Anne and Josie were able to sneak away for an afternoon for girl talk, leaving all five children with Gilbert and Henry. 

“If there’s only one fire, we’ll be immensely lucky.” Josie said as they set off arm and arm down the path, enjoying the crisp air and pale afternoon sunlight. Anne snorted, raising an eyebrow at her friend. 

“All of the children were napping when we left, and two of them just lie in their cribs and look adorable, how much trouble could they realistically get into in an hour or so?” Anne asked. 

“Just wait until you add a few boys to your brood and you’ll find that trouble seems to find little boys, especially when they’re father turns into a child as well when he’s with them.” She said with a roll of her eyes and a hint of smile as she thought of the many memories she had of Henry playing with the boys, making a mess more often than not. 

“A little boy would be a wonderful addition, I think.” Anne said with a smile. “Not for a little while though, I’m enjoying the peace now that Rachel and Marilla have stopped pestering me about having a baby.” 

“Incessant mothers are significantly better the more children you have. Lillian cried when I told her I was pregnant with Sam, and by the time I was pregnant with Chip it was like I was telling her that the sky was blue.” Josie tittered. 

“Unsurprising given the fact that you never went more than what, six months between babies?” Anne teased, prompting an eye roll from Josie. 

“Excuse you, Thomas was fourteen months old when I became pregnant with Chip. They’re almost two years apart. Though I greatly suspect that I was pregnant once or twice in that time but lost it early on. I was late a few times, but always bled again after a week or so.” She admitted lightly, shooting a look to her friend a quick glance to gauge her reaction. She was surprised to see that Anne had gone pale, her jaw hanging in shock. 

“Really?” She asked, her voice strained. 

“Yes,” Josie said with a nod. “But like I said, I was never sure. Both times it was so early that I hadn’t even told Henry yet.” 

Anne just hummed, still looking slightly ill. Josie’s eyebrows drew together in concern as she took a step closer to her friend. 

“Are you alright? You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.” She said, and Anne swallowed nervously. 

“I haven’t been completely honest with you, I’m afraid to admit.” She said, her voice heavy with emotion, looking as if she might cry at any moment. 

“What do you mean?” 

Anne took a deep breath, wringing her hands together. “I can’t talk about this and trust my legs to hold me, let’s go back and fix some tea for this, alright?” 

Josie nodded, reaching out to take her friend’s arm as they turned around and headed back towards the house, her concern growing greater and greater with every step they took. 

They made the tea themselves, not wanting to burden Emma with the task when the poor woman had three children worth of diapers to launder when they were perfectly capable of doing it themselves. With their fortification secured they stole away to Josie and Henry’s room, warning the boys to not let the children know they were there when they woke up from their naps. 

“Alright,” Josie said as they settled down on the chaise, a cup of tea in each of their hands. “Will you please tell me what’s going on now? You’re scaring me.” 

Anne nodded nervously, taking a small sip from her cup before clearing her throat and admitting something only a handful of people in her life knew about. 

“I lost a baby as well, before I got pregnant with Hazel.” She said quickly, her stomach twisting painfully at the memory. Josie frowned, reaching out to take her friend’s hand. 

“Oh Anne, I’m sorry. I was being willy nilly about it earlier, wasn’t I?” She apologized, squeezing Anne’s hand gently as the redhead shook off her friend’s concern. 

“You didn’t know, I can’t fault you for it.” She said, mustering up a small smile of assurance to her friend as she squeezed back. 

“If you don’t mind me asking, when was it? I thought you got pregnant with Hazel almost immediately after you moved to Stepney Creek?” Josie asked, eyebrows furrowed together as she tried to piece together the timeline. 

“No, you’re right, I did.” She said, biting down on her lower lip. “But before then, I was pregnant for three months in the fall of 1902.” 

  
  



	5. Five

**September 1902**

Patty’s Place was the place of dreams and endless imagination. Anne had fallen in love with the quaint house the moment she walked by with Phil the spring of their first year at Redmond, and she knew that it was nothing short of divine providence that they were able to live there for not only one year, but for the three remaining years of their education. 

She could just imagine what the years would hold, all of the joy, camaraderie and memories that would be carefully planted, tended to, and harvested during their stay. She was beside herself the day they all moved in, rushing into the house as Gilbert struggled behind her with her trunk. 

“Thank you for the help, dear.” He deadpanned, rolling his eyes at her as she backtracked, taking one end of the trunk as they began the journey up the stairs. 

“Sorry, sorry. You know how excited I’ve been to move in, I got a little carried away!” Anne laughed, giving Gilbert a beaming smile that made him smile in turn as they climbed. 

“You can have the room at the end of the hall, dear. I think it’ll be more accommodating when the good doctor comes to visit.” Phil tittered as they reached the top, pointing down the hallway with a playful wink. The couple blushed and made their way to the room, nudging it open carefully before setting Anne’s trunk down carefully. She instantly knew what Phil was referring to as she took in the double bed nestled in the corner of the room, and she made a mental note to give her friend a big kiss on the cheek and a bouquet of flowers to thank her for her foresight. 

“Phil’s a smart woman.” Gilbert chuckled, bending down to kiss her temple, giving her a light smack on the bottom. “Help me with my trunk?” 

Anne just giggled, nodding as she followed Gilbert out of her new bedroom, returned the smack as they went. 

With Gilbert’s trunk tucked safely away into Anne’s room, the two departed to explore Kingsport, Anne practically buzzing with excitement. It was the first time Gilbert had truly spent time with her at Redmond, and she didn’t want to waste a single moment showing him every nook and cranny she had discovered during her first year. 

“I think after tea I can show you my favorite walking path, the best part is that there’s a little shortcut and it’s absolutely _magical_. I will admit I got lost there a few times, but once I made a clear path I was right as rain.” She gushed, practically bursting with excitement as the two made their way to the little cafe Anne frequented with her friends. 

Unfortunately for her, the same cafe also happened to be a favorite of Royal Gardner’s as well. 

“Don’t look now,” She said as they entered, clutching on tighter to Gilbert’s arm as her eyes landed on the man. “But Roy is sitting in the corner. I don’t think he’s seen us yet.” 

“Perfect, that means we can leave and he’d be none the wiser.” Gilbert said quickly, taking a step backwards. Anne stayed rooted in her spot, unwilling to back down. 

“No! We’ll just ignore him. This place is the best in town and I’m not going to let him ruin this experience. Hopefully he won’t even notice that we’re here.” She pleaded, tugging him towards a table that wasn’t within range of Roy. She didn’t think that he would do anything, he was much too proper to make a move on her with her husband sitting three feet away from her, and he had also backed down considerably in his efforts since she had slapped him in January. Her hand still stung when she thought about it, and she got the same sense of twisted satisfaction remembering the flabbergasted look on his face after her strike had landed on his cheek. 

“Alright,” Gilbert said, sending a wary look in Roy’s direction. “But if he says anything untoward, I’m within my rights to hit him.” 

Anne giggled, reaching across the table to take his hand in hers. “Of course you are, I would expect nothing less.” 

Thankfully, nothing of the sort happened. Naturally, Roy did see them- it was a small cafe afterall and was practically inevitable. 

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Blythe. It’s good to see you again.” He said politely, motioning for the people that he was with to go ahead as he stopped by their table. Anne held back the urge to snort, somewhat impressed that he had remembered and used her married name. 

“Good afternoon, Mr. Gardner.” She said, giving him a nod of acknowledgement before reaching across the table to touch Gilbert’s hand lightly. “This is my husband, Gilbert. Gil, this is Royal Gardner.” 

If she wasn’t in the middle of a crowded cafe, she would have laughed at Gilbert’s less than pleased expression as he held out his hand for Roy to shake, barely hiding his contempt for the other man. 

“I’ve heard a great deal about you, Mr. Gardner.” He said stiffly, letting go of the other man’s hand quicker than was typically considered polite. Roy nodded awkwardly, knowing that everything he had heard most definitely did not put him in a good light. 

“I’m sure you have,” He said with an awkward nod, swallowing nervously as he turned to Anne. “And I’ve been doing a great deal of thinking about my behavior, and I would like to sincerely apologize for my incessant pursuit of you. It was neither right nor proper, and I should not have conducted myself in such a way. Would you please consider forgiving me?” 

Anne’s eyebrows rose in surprise, and her gaze cut to Gilbert, who watched on skeptically. She wanted to believe that his apology was genuine, and there was no indication from his body language and facial expression that would make her think otherwise. She supposed if he was just apologizing to her to save face in front of Gilbert and his behavior didn’t change, then she could address that problem when it happened. 

“Of course. I appreciate your apology.” She said, giving him a small smile of affirmation. He smiled in turn, giving her a happy nod before turning to Gilbert. 

“And I suppose it would also be proper to ask for your forgiveness as well? I had no business going after another man’s girl.” He said, looking just as apologetic to him as he had to her. Anne’s eyebrows lifted in surprise in time with Gilbert’s who looked taken aback by the apology as well. 

“You have it.” Gilbert said after a long moment, extending his hand again to shake Roy’s for real. His shoulders fell in relief, and with a quick nod and well wishes to the both of them, Roy was gone leaving the Blythes very, very confused. 

“Well, that certainly wasn’t what I was expecting when we walked in here today.” Anne said, taking a sip of her tea. Gilbert chuckled. 

“Neither did I, darling. Do you think he meant it?” He asked, raising an eyebrow across the table at his wife. 

“I’m not certain,” She said honestly. “I sure do hope so, but I suppose only time will tell.” 

Gilbert nodded in agreement, shaking his head as he chuckled to himself. “I suppose it will.” 

* * *

After tea, the two set out on a walk through town that included all of Anne’s favorite nooks and crannies that provided great scope for the imagination. After a long day of exploring, the couple set back off towards Patty’s Place arm in arm, tired from the long day of travel to get to Kingsport and the afternoon of walking. 

“I think it’s straight up to bed for me.” Anne said with a loud yawn as she unlocked the door. Gilbert nodded in agreement, following her yawn with one of his own. 

“I think that’s a marvelous idea.” He said, giving a polite wave to Anne’s roommates as they passed by the parlor door, following her up the stairs towards her room. 

They undressed in relative silence, their exhaustion bone deep as they dressed in their night clothes and slid underneath the soft sheets. 

“I caught a glimpse of the other bedrooms, they all have single beds. It seems like being married so young has truly given you the upper hand in this case.” Gilbert chuckled as he settled on his side behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her flush against him. Anne snorted, rolling her eyes at his little joke. 

“Oh wonderful, ruining our reputation and having all of my friend’s mothers hate me is completely worth it now because I got the big bed!” She said with a sarcastic gasp. Gilbert rolled his eyes at her, tucking his chin in the curve of her shoulder. 

“They don’t hate you.” He said, and Anne rolled her eyes, looking over her shoulder to give him an incredulous look. 

“Eliza Barry does in fact hate me. Diana told me as much.” She said with a deadpan expression. “But I don’t give a rat’s rear end. Diana didn’t do anything with the information I gave her until she and Fred were married, and even then she knew good and well what to expect. All I did was give her the knowledge and the power to make her own informed decisions. That's all I was trying to do, and now I'm the village harlot.” 

“Unfortunately, some of those informed decisions are still the wrong one unless you’re married first according to polite society.” Gilbert said, and Anne huffed. 

“To hell with polite society. They’re all prudes. I’ve known since the moment we began courting- perhaps even before then- that you were the one I would spend my life with. Why wouldn’t we enjoy physical intimacies as long as they didn’t result in a child? What’s so different now than before we got married?” Anne ranted, shifting to roll onto her back as she crossed her arms over her chest and stared grumpily up at the ceiling. 

“The prudes of society are happy now and can’t fuss, that’s what’s changed.” Gilbert chuckled, leaning in to kiss the furrow out of her brow, one hand propping up his head as the other slid under the cover to grab the bottom of her nightgown with a mischievous grin. “And no one can say anything if I were to do this.” 

Anne tried to hold onto her sour attitude for a moment before her resolve crumbled, lifting her hips from the bed as Gilbert continued his journey north with her nightgown in hand. She didn’t object as he pulled it over her head and tossed it over the edge of the bed. 

“What else could you do that the old biddies in town couldn’t fuss about?” She asked, her blood simmering in her veins from the intense look he was giving her, his eyes dark and needy for her. 

“I’ve always been a fan of showing rather than telling.” He said with a smirk, tangling a hand into her hair to pull her in for a searing kiss. 

The two of them had made a lot of love over the course of the summer, that was an indisputable fact. Especially after the two of them arrived back in Avonlea after being away from each other for most of their marriage, the two were downright indecent with their affections and fervor for the other (which their poor families suffered from a great deal, no place was safe from their trysts and everyone had seen much more than they wanted to of the young couple.) 

Due to their extensive coupling, Gilbert liked to think that he was a good judge of when to pull out so as to not risk a pregnancy. They never even had to doubt that he had done it on time, as he usually withdrew with more than enough time to be safe. 

That was why it came as a complete shock that he wasn’t able to that night. 

“ _Gil, Gil, Gil,”_ Anne gasped, her legs wrapped tight around his waist as he thrust into her, his own face buried into the crook of her neck as he panted into her pale skin. “Please don’t stop. _Please, please!”_

She was so close to falling apart it almost hurt, her head thrown back against the pillow as she tangled her fingers into Gilbert’s dark curls. She needed him more than she could even comprehend or eloquently express, and with every press of him inside of her she got closer and closer to bliss. 

Gilbert, on the other hand, was in heaven. He wasn’t sure what it was about it, but it was as if every sensation was heightened, every touch magnified tenfold. Anne was a vision underneath him, panting and writhing as he listened to her every instruction, unable to do anything but indulge her. _Faster. Deeper. More, more more._

He lost his head the moment she came, her body going taut as her hips bucked up, riding out her high as her knees locked around his waist, keeping him locked into place as she wrung every possible ounce of pleasure from him. He didn’t realize that the feeling of her contracting around him, coupled with her quiet moans of his name in his ear and the drag of her nails down his back, was enough to push him over the edge far before he was expecting it. 

“Gilbert!” Anne gasped as he spilled himself inside of her, his own broken moans filling the tiny bedroom as he went still over her, horror immediately ruining the afterglow of what he been the best sex they had had in quite some time. 

“Shit,” He swore, pulling out quickly to sit back, his eyes wide with panic.

“Why did you do that?” Anne exclaimed shrilly, her words laced with worry as she looked up at him as if he had grown two heads. 

“I didn’t mean to!” He cried, running a hand through his tousled curls. “I don’t know what I was thinking!” 

“You weren’t!” Anne snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. “Gilbert you’ve ruined everything!” 

“Stop right there, Anne.” He said, holding his hands up to try and console her. “This doesn’t mean you’re going to get pregnant. There’s a very good chance that nothing will happen and that everything will be alright. Please don’t fret about this.” 

“Don’t fret about it? How could you possibly expect for me to _not_ fret about this!” Anne said, throwing her hands in the air. Gilbert sighed heavily, dropping his head and scrubbing his hands over his face. He had messed up catastrophically, and he knew that he had doomed them to several weeks of panic that would most likely end with a letter from Anne saying that she had bled and that they were in the clear. 

Until then though, they were sure to be anxious messes. 

The days following the incident were tense between the two of them, the stress of not knowing weighing heavily on them, and as awful as it was to say, Gilbert was almost relieved when Anne dropped him off at the train station to begin his trip to Ottawa to spend a few days with Henry and Josie before continuing onward to Toronto before the school year began. 

“Send me a telegram the second you know something definitively, alright?” He said as they stood on the train platform, cupping Anne’s face gently in his hands as he leaned down to press a gentle kiss to her lips. “It’s going to be alright, Anne-girl.” 

“But what if it isn’t?” She asked when he pulled away, biting down lightly on her lower lip. Gilbert sighed, looking down at his shoes. 

“Then we’ll do what we’ve always done: we’ll figure it out together, as a team.” He said with a firm nod, rubbing his thumb over her cheekbone in an attempt to quell her fears as the whistle blew, alerting him that they were out of time. “But I firmly believe that we have nothing to worry about. I’ll see you in December, my love.” 

And with that he was gone, walking away from his wife and the child they were both unaware that she was carrying. 

* * *

“Are you going to tell me what’s got you in such a state, or am I going to have to start guessing?” Henry asked not ten minutes into the ride to the ranch, raising an eyebrow at his friend. Gilbert groaned, setting his head in his hands. He should have known that Henry would be able to see straight through him. 

“You’d have to keep it a secret from Josie.” He said. Henry snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Unless you’ve killed someone or are having an affair, then I can do that. Now out with it.” 

“Anne might be pregnant.” Gilbert said with a heavy sigh as he lifted his head to look at Henry. His eyebrows rose slightly, his surprise evident. 

“Really? How did that happen?” He asked, and Gilbert snorted humorlessly. 

“You have a son, I’m sure you know exactly how to get a woman pregnant.” He said with a roll of his eyes, and Henry puffed his chest out proudly at the statement. 

“You’re damn right I do, and if Josie lets me have my way, I’ll do it again before the year is out.” He said, and Gilbert held back the urge to gag at his friend’s brazen statement. 

“I liked you better before when you were a whiny virgin. Can you go back to being a prude?” He said, crossing his arms over his chest with a huff. Henry guffawed, shaking his head. 

“I don’t think I will.” He chortled. “Now tell me, how likely is it that she could be expecting?” 

“Hopefully unlikely, but this is the first time that we know for sure that it could happen. It wouldn’t be a surprise.” Gilbert said with a heavy sigh. “I feel like such a cad. If she ends up pregnant, she’ll have to leave school. She won’t be able to work anymore, she’ll have to move to Toronto. How will I support myself, Anne, and a baby? All because I lost my head, this is my fault.” 

“Hey now, there’s no use in beating yourself up over it, we can’t change the past. Like you said, you don’t know anything for sure yet.” Henry said with a reassuring nod. “Don’t make yourself suffer before there’s anything to suffer about.” 

“Anne’s furious with me. I don’t blame her.” Gilbert sighed. 

“She’s likely just scared. Heaven knows that Josie’s scared more than she’s truly angry, but that doesn’t stop her from tearing my head off when she’s frightened about something.” Henry said with a light chuckle, raising an eyebrow at his friend. “But don’t tell her I said that.” 

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Gilbert said with a roll of his eyes, the humor fading away as his shoulders slumped, a look of helplessness taking over. “What are we going to do, Henry?” 

Henry sighed as well, reaching across the coach to rest a hand on his friend’s shoulder, the simple touch warm and reassuring. 

“Wait until you know for sure if there’s a baby or not, then you make a plan. Regardless, Josie and I are going to be right there beside you and Anne. You won’t be alone, everything will be alright.” He said. 

Gilbert could only nod numbly, his mind still spinning with thoughts of babies and worst case scenarios. He just hoped that Henry was right.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm on vacation right now with family, so updates will not be anywhere close to daily, so don't worry if a few days go by without an update. See y'all next time!


	6. Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just call me Big Fat Liar for saying that I wouldn't be updating every day. I won't be mad.

**November 1902**

**RECEIVED TELEGRAM**

**TO: GILBERT BLYHE**

**FOURNIER BOARDING HOUSE**

**OFFICE OF ORIGIN: KINGSPORT, NOVA SCOTIA**

**NOV. 2, 1902**

**NOTHING FOR TWO MONTHS. ASSUMING THE WORST. LETTER TO FOLLOW.**

* * *

“Phil, I need to tell you something because I fear that if I don’t, I might explode, but you must promise to use discretion on the matter.” Anne asked her friend, twisting her hands together nervously as she lingered in the doorway of the woman’s bedroom one cool morning in early November. Phil yawned, covering her mouth primly before looking up at her friend in the mirror. 

“Of course, dear. What’s the matter?” She asked, raising an eyebrow at her as she jabbed a pin into her hair. 

“I’m pregnant.” She said, biting down harshly on her lower lip the moment the words fell from her lips. Phil’s eyes went comically wide, and she rounded on her quickly, her jaw dropping to the floor. 

“You’re fibbing.” She said in disbelief, and Anne shook her head. 

“No, I’m not. It’s been two months now and I haven’t bled, and Gilbert and I had a little incident when he was here in September. There’s no other explanation.” 

“Oh Anne,” Phil sighed, standing up from her seat and crossing the room to take Anne’s hands in hers. “It’s going to be alright, children are miracles!” 

“But Phil, I’m going to have to leave school.” Anne whimpered, her lip trembling as tears welled up in her eyes. “We’re already poor as church mice, how will we afford a baby? G-Gilbert’s probably going to have to leave school as well and...and be a  _ farmer _ and work at the orchard and I’ll never be a teacher or a writer-” 

“Calm down, hun.” Phil cooed, rubbing her arm gently as she guided her to the bed to sit down. “You’ll work yourself into a tizzy if you aren’t careful.” 

“I’m already in a tizzy! I’ve been in a tizzy since September!” Anne cried, throwing her hands in the air. 

“Well, nothing good is going to come from us losing our heads, so take a deep breath and pull yourself together.” Her friend said, taking on a firm tone, squeezing Anne’s arm gently. She did what was asked of her, inhaling slowly to compose herself before looking up at Phil to await instructions. “Alright, let’s think practically. Have you told Gilbert yet?” 

Anne nodded, biting down on her lip. “I sent him a telegram this morning, and I’m going to write him a letter to be put in the post this afternoon but that won’t arrive in Toronto for another week at least.” 

Phil nodded pensively, tapping her chin as she thought. “And you’re about two months gone, you’d say?” 

Anne nodded again. “There’s no possible way I would be able to finish the school year, Phil, I would be kicked out of my classes the second I started showing. Especially considering the fact that I don’t flaunt that I’m married, people would be quick to judge and think I’m a harlot. I have no other choice but to leave for good in December.” She said with a heavy sigh. 

“Well, there are other choices…” Phil said quietly, trailing off and letting Anne assume where she had been going with her statement. Anne thought back to the letter Gilbert had sent her after she told him of Josie’s assault, when they were still unsure of whether or not a baby had come as a result of Billy’s actions (she still got horribly angry thinking about that particular subject, even though it had been well over two and a half years and Josie had done a great bit of healing since that fateful night.) Gilbert had said that there were ways to get rid of a pregnancy, should a mother not want the child that she was carrying, but they weren’t safe whatsoever. Still...

“Don’t say such things, Phillipa.” Anne spat, standing up quickly to get away from her friend as wicked thoughts filled her head. “Don’t even tempt me with thoughts of that sort.” 

“I’m sorry, Anne. I didn’t mean to offend you, I wasn’t sure if you would even know what I was talking about.” She said apologetically, her eyebrows bunching together in concern. 

“I most certainly do know what you’re talking about, and it’s wretched to think of such a thing. It’s illegal, and unsafe. There’s no way I could possibly do such a thing.” Anne huffed.  _ And I feel wretched for wishing it was a more viable option.  _

“I’ll never bring it up again, I swear.” Phil said solemnly, still watching with a sympathetic look on her face from the bed as Anne began to pace, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. She came to stop after a moment, turning to her friend with a serious expression. 

“Promise me you won’t tell Prissy or Stella until I have my affairs in order. I’ll tell them before I leave for Christmas, but I need time to come up with a plan with Gilbert, and until then I want to keep this knowledge as secretive as possible. The fewer that know, the better.” 

Phil nodded quickly, standing up and wrapping her friend in a hug. “You have my word. Your secret is safe with me. It’s going to be alright, I promise.” 

Anne sighed, her heart heavy and her soul weary as her worst fears came to pass. She wanted to believe that her friend was right, and that everything would be okay, but in that moment it felt as if everything was falling apart. She had worked so hard for what she had, she had slaved for hours and hours at Queens to get the Avery scholarship, and halfway through her degree she was going to lose it all. She felt so many different things at once, and it was hard to keep track of everything. 

She thought about the letter she had received from Josie with the news that she was pregnant with Sam. She had screamed so loudly all of the girls in her boarding house had come running, fearing that something horrible had happened to her. She had barely been able to compose herself to assure them that everything was okay, and that her best friend was expecting. She had been positively elated (and a bit miffed that Josie had not told her that she and Henry had taken the particular step that led to children) and spent a great deal of the afternoon crying tears of joy as she penned a letter back, expressing her excitement for her friends and their new addition to the family. She knew both Henry and Josie were over the moon about the baby, and that it was something both of them had wanted for quite some time, and so she felt nothing but joy in that moment for them. 

She just hated that she didn’t get the same experience. 

She wanted to scream, sometimes, when she thought about the poor hand she had been dealt in her adult life. Of course she could look back and see that most things were a result of choices she had made, but her luck had proved time and time again to be utterly horrible. She had been robbed of a proper wedding, she spent her wedding night (and most of the subsequent days) crying, she lost a handful of friendships, she lived in a completely separate province from her husband, and now she was pregnant at the worst possible time. She couldn’t even bring herself to be excited about her first child because of how much she was going to lose because of it. 

How terrible was that, though? She had wanted to be a mother her entire life, and she had spent many nights dreaming of the day that she would have a brood of curly headed, blue eyed babies with Gilbert. She had hoped that babies would come after she and Gilbert had finished school and were living in the same province, at least. She knew all too well what it felt like to be unwanted, and the thought of her being resentful and disappointed about the circumstances of her first born tore her apart from the inside out. She wasn’t even sure if the nausea that had overcome her lately was because of the baby or the overwhelming guilt that she felt about her less than stellar emotions about it all. 

She just hoped that someday, once she had come to terms with an unexpected turn of events (again), that she would be able to be even a little bit jubilant about her child. All she knew was that that day would not be coming anytime soon. 

* * *

_ November 2, 1902 _

_ Gilbert,  _

_ I’m sure by now you’ve received my telegram, and you know exactly what the contents of this letter will be. It seems the little incident in September has led to a child, and there is no doubt about it. Come June, we will have a little baby Blythe to tend to. I suppose that I will have to discontinue my education here at Redmond, as it’s hardly accepted that a married woman be educated, let alone a pregnant one. It only makes sense that I move to Toronto, or stay in Avonlea for the remainder of my pregnancy. How did the orchard do this harvest? We’ll need all the money we can get to pay for an apartment, your tuition, groceries, and the myriad of baby things that our new addition will require. Matthew and Marilla live a comfortable life, but there often isn’t much money to spare, but I’m sure they would be willing to help should we ask for it, but I am a Cuthbert through and through and the thought of taking any charity from them makes me feel sick to my stomach (though I feel sick to my stomach most days now, along with horribly tender breasts. It’s absolutely wretched, I tell you.)  _

_ So far only Phil knows of my condition, and I will be keeping it that way until we have a definite plan in place. I’ll have to tell them before I leave for Christmas holidays, seeing as how I won’t be returning afterwards, but for the moment I’m keeping this news to myself. I ask that you do the same, as well. I’m not showing yet and won’t for quite some time, and I would prefer that we get our affairs straightened out before we tell anyone. How about we tell our friends and family once we get to Avonlea for Christmas? By then we should have everything sorted out, don’t you think? Yes, I quite like that plan. Please let me know if that is agreeable to you, as well.  _

_ I love you,  _

_ Anne.  _

* * *

**November 3, 1902**

**Dear Diary,**

**I am a horrible excuse for a human being.**

**I have been a cacophony of emotions since I last saw Gilbert in September, and with every missed menses my feelings have grown stronger and stronger. How could I feel this way? How could I be so resentful of the life growing inside of me? I’m so upset about this turn of events, and I only admit this dark, disgusting truth because I know it will never be seen by anyone else’s eyes but mine. But here is the damning truth of the matter: I do not want this baby.**

**Oh, I weep just writing it down! How could I possibly think of such a thing!? I always dreamed that my first pregnancy would be magical, and I would have an ethereal glow as I nurtured the life in my womb, but now I grow sick at the thought of it.**

**I feel quite bitter about all of it. I’m angry and resentful and upset and mournful and every other somber emotion. Let me begin listing all of my grievances, shall I?**

**I’m angry at Gilbert for finishing inside of me and putting us in this situation.**

**I’m resentful of Josie for telling Billy about Gilbert and I’s trysts, which led to us getting married so early. If we hadn’t gotten married, we wouldn’t be having intercourse, and none of this would be a problem. I’m resentful that she could have hundreds of babies that she gets to be excited about, yet here I am, lamenting over my first child and the awful timing of it all.**

**I’m upset that I have to leave my life here in Kingsport, and that all of my hard work thus far seems like a waste.**

**I’m dreading having to tell our friends and family. Rachel is going to be tickled pink, and I’ll have to fake excitement and not scream in her face that I wish this baby was never conceived (again, how could I even think such a thing?)**

**I’m disgusted with myself for all of these feelings, and that when I look in the mirror I see Mrs. Hammond staring back at me. Angry, bitter, and unloving towards her children. Will I always be so resentful of this baby? Could I ever possibly fall in love with it, and find excitement in my impending motherhood? Or will I always look into my baby’s eyes and be reminded that at one point I didn’t want them?**

**Lastly, I’m mournful of the life I could have lived. I could have been a teacher, a writer, an activist, and a great deal of other things if it weren’t for this baby. But my plans have been ruined, and I’m destined to be nothing more than a housewife for the rest of my days.**

**So much for being the bride of adventure.**

* * *

_ November 10, 1902 _

_ My Dearest Anne,  _

_ I must confess that I’m worried about you. So worried in fact that I almost jumped on a train to come be with you, but upon further thought, I decided that it was a poor choice to do so. As much as I wish I could be there with you now in these uncertain times, I simply cannot risk a trip so close to finals. But only four weeks remain until I am back in your arms once more, and I suppose our reunion will just have to wait until then.  _

_ Anne, I know that this isn’t anything close to what we planned when we talked about our lives and future together, but I want to try and look on the bright side of all of this. My love, you’re carrying our first child at this very moment! Though we are apart, you have a piece of me right there with you, growing strong in the love we share. Don’t you think that’s beautiful? We’ve created life together, we have come together to do something we could not possibly have done on our own. Isn’t that a physical reminder of our marriage vows to each other? Together, we are so much more than we can ever dream of being as individuals (and while I truly admire your spirit as an individual, I must admit that when we have put our heads together in the past we have been able to accomplish quite wonderful things.)  _

_ Now, don’t take my words as me making light of this situation. I’ll be frank with you: I’m terrified. Absolutely, positively, completely terrified. I know nothing about being a father. Hell, I almost dropped Baby Sam the first time I held him! (Though I blame him being the World’s Largest Infant for my near blunder. I thank God frequently that I didn’t drop him, Josie would’ve mauled me had I done such a thing, then Henry would’ve ground my bones into dust for dropping his son.) But as scared as I am, and as petrified as I’m assuming you are (which brings me to the source of my worry, your letter was incredibly clinical, you didn’t give me a single clue as to what you were feeling, which to me speaks volumes. Will you please let me into that head of yours? You do not have to carry this burden alone, Anne. It took both of us to make this baby, and it’s only fair that I carry the burden with you.) I want you to know that we are in this together, Anne. That’s not to say that it will be easy, but I have full faith in us. We will make it through this trial, and we will be a family, together. You, me, and the baby you’re carrying. I know you are sure to be disappointed, along with a whole slew of other emotions, but couldn’t we at least try to make the best out of a less than ideal situation? I don’t want the poor timing to taint the memories of our first born, and I’m sure you feel the same way.  _

_ Onto more practical things, I can withhold telling people until Christmas, as you requested. In the spirit of being transparent with you, I will admit that in September I told Henry of my little blunder (only after he called me out on being a nervous wreck, that man can read me like a book, it seems.) though I haven’t followed up with him on the matter, so as of right now he knows nothing for sure. I also had his word that he wouldn’t tell Josie, so she is unaware of your pregnancy as well. If it makes you feel any better, Henry did assure me that if this situation were to arise that he and Josie would be behind us in any way they could, so take comfort knowing that we have our best friends perpetually in our corner.  _

_ Though it is not the most ideal situation, I think it would be best if you stayed in Avonlea after Christmas break. While it makes me ill to think that I wouldn’t get to witness a large majority of your pregnancy, I think it is the best option for us, all things considered. You wouldn’t be able to board with me (there just isn’t enough room, plus you wouldn’t want to live with the brutes that I do. I miss living with Henry terribly, but don’t tell him I said so. It’ll inflate his ego too much, and I can’t handle that.) and I fear that you’d be horribly lonely here. I think it would be best if you stayed in Avonlea so that you’d be surrounded by family during this already tumultuous time. I would be home sometime in late May, just in time for the baby to be born, and we could bring him or her back to Toronto with us in September after spending the summer at home. That way we have ample time to find an apartment, and save up money for it. I’ll have to talk with Bash about finances, and I’ll probably have to take out another loan, but I have no doubt that once I have a practice of my own that our financial strain will be nothing but a distant memory. I promise once I’ve talked to Bash at Christmastime that I will keep you updated about financial matters. But please try to not fret about such a thing, we’ll be alright, Anne-girl.  _

_ Can I just say how sorry I am that you’re having to leave school? That is what breaks my heart the most about this whole situation, truly. I feel awful, and can’t help but blame myself for this whole thing. You’ve worked so incredibly hard, and I won’t try and downplay the disappointment you surely feel. I hope you don’t hate me because of it, and that if you feel any anger or resentment towards me that you’ll let me know rather than bottling it up. This wasn’t in our plans, I know, but I hope that you know that you and I are together in this. You are my partner in life, and we run this race together, side by side and arm in arm.  _

_ I love you more than words can express, just as I love our child with a love I didn’t know existed. Will you please tell them that their father loves them very much? I wish I could be there now to kiss you and them. You’ll just have to pass on my affections to our baby until we are together again.  _

_ With love and adoration,  _

_ Gilbert  _

* * *

Anne spent a good long while crying after she read Gilbert’s letter, and once she had calmed down enough to see the words on the page without tears interrupting her, she read the letter again. She was completely overwhelmed by how much she loved that beautiful, infuriating man. How was he able to so quickly reassure her? She had spent months anguishing over the baby, and in one fell swoop he had made her feel more at ease than she had in months. 

Of course, all of her fears were still very much present, and she still held a great deal of fear, bitterness, and worry about what the future would hold, but Gilbert’s letter had pushed her to look on the other side of things. They would not be destitute and miserable because of the baby. They had a great number of people who loved them that would surely surround them in their time of need, who would walk alongside them into their new roles as parents. And who was she to tell herself that she couldn’t do something? She had always planned on being a writer, who said that she had to give up her dreams once she had a child? Surely she would have time to write, at least a little bit, when the baby was sleeping, or at night when Gilbert could tend to the baby for a little while. And if she wanted to be an activist, what was stopping her from strapping the baby to her chest and taking them along with her? Nothing, that’s what! She had been so caught up in her own disappointment, that she had placed limitations on herself, and she was determined to cut that nonsense out. 

She could be mournful of the life that she had planned out for herself, that she wouldn’t finish school and that a few of her plans would be permanently derailed, but at the end of the day she had everything she had always wanted: a loving family, loyal friends, and a prince charming that swept her off of her feet when she felt like she was caught in the pits of despair. And she was going to have a family with him, and he seemed genuinely excited to have a family with her, and that's what she wanted to focus on. She could let herself spiral into complete and utter misery, or she could search for the positives of the situation, rather than only acknowledging the negatives. 

With a new perspective in mind, and too much love for her husband in her heart, Anne picked up her pen, set her free hand on the still flat slope of her belly, and began to write a response. 

  
  



	7. Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: this chapter contains miscarriage, blood, and grief.

**December 1902**

December brought the end of an era. 

Anne had been foolish to think that her friends wouldn’t notice a change in her, and while they were initially shocked to hear that she was expecting, the shock quickly turned to a sense of understanding for Anne’s strange behavior. 

“Oh Anne, we’re going to miss you terribly.” Stella said after a moment of speechlessness, reaching out to take her hands. “We’ll have to come visit you this summer after you have the baby, wouldn’t that be fun?” 

Anne nodded weakly, pulling one of her hands free to wipe at the tears that had fallen while giving her friends the news that she wouldn’t be returning. 

“Of course, that sounds lovely. It would break my heart irreparably if I were to lose contact with you all.” She said, mustering up a watery smile for the girls. 

“We’re not going anywhere, hun.” Prissy said with an encouraging smile. 

“Hear, hear!” Phil added. “You aren’t getting rid of us that easily, Mrs. Blythe!” 

“And nothing is going to stop us from absolutely devouring that beautiful curly haired, blue eyed, red headed baby.” Stella giggled, which prompted Anne to groan dramatically. 

“No! Don’t you dare wish such a terrible fate onto my child!” She exclaimed, slumping backwards on the couch as she held a hand over her face. 

The girls launched into a lively discussion on the baby then, talking about who the baby was more likely to favor in terms of looks, baby clothes, how Anne had been feeling, and about a million other topics. There would be time for tears and goodbyes, but they still had a week before school was over for the semester, and Anne was bound and determined to save all of the sadness for the last possible moment. 

* * *

She spent a good long while crying once she was on the train, her face turned towards the window as her shoulders shook from her quiet cries. Saying goodbye to Stella, Prissy, and Phil had been a great deal harder than she had anticipated, and she was an emotional wreck as a result. It didn’t help that she had been tired and achy in the days leading up to her departure from Kingsport, exhaustion clinging to her bones as she struggled to finish her finals on a high note. Being on the train didn’t help the situation easier, and once she had stopped crying and composed herself, she spent a great deal of the trip trying to get comfortable in her seat, the ache in her back consistent despite her attempts to alleviate the discomfort. 

When she managed to get somewhat comfortable- at least comfortable enough to not squirm every thirty seconds- she looked out the window and let her mind wander about the reactions she would receive from all of the people in her life when she gave them the news. 

She had already written a letter to Josie that she would drop in the post once their families knew (she would have to arrange for Matthew, Marilla, Rachel, and Jerry to come over to the orchard for dinner one night, there was no way she would be able to wait until Christmas like she and Gilbert had originally planned) and after their families, she would make visits to Diana and Ruby to give them the knews. She could only imagine the excitement she would receive from her friends. She had been tempted to ask Josie in her letter if she was expecting again, she knew that she and Henry had been trying, and the thought of them having babies only a few months apart made her feel downright giddy. Ultimately, she had withheld from asking, but she crossed her fingers and hoped that Josie would send back good news once Anne sent her letter. 

She didn’t have a doubt in her mind that Rachel would probably cry, and she was willing to put money on Marilla crying as well- though Anne suspected that she would leave the room to do it in private. It was likely that Gilbert would be tackled to the ground by Bash, and Delphine would probably screech in excitement (she was a very vocal four year old that could not be silenced, she reminded Anne more and more of Mary the older she got.) Diana would probably cry as well, and Ruby it was all but guaranteed to do so. 

The more Anne thought about the reactions of her family and friends, the more excited she got. Yes, she was still upset about the turn of events, but she still had her wits and the ability to hold a pen, which meant that the pursuit of her ambitions could not, and would not, be stopped. She held the firm belief that more than one thing could be true at a time. She could be disappointed in the premature end to her education, but also excited about the family that she was beginning to build with Gilbert. 

Anne nearly cried with relief once the train pulled into Bright River, her back screaming at her as she stood up and stretched as much as she could on the cramped train car. She inhaled sharply when a cramp ripped through her abdomen, and she doubled over from the unexpected pain, her hand falling to her stomach as the other clutched onto the back of the chair to steady herself. She worked to steady her breathing as the pain slowly receded, leaving her blushing in embarrassment as she became aware of the curious stares she was getting. 

“Pardon me,” She said quietly, quickly hurrying off of the train to collect her trunk and find Matthew. 

She nearly shouted the news in a fit of excitement when her eyes landed on her dear, sweet Matthew, a squeal of happiness leaving her lips as she rushed into his arms. 

“Welcome home, Anne.” He said, his rough voice as soothing as the late summer rain in her ear. She laughed joyfully, clutching onto him tightly. Oh how she wished she could have just blurted the news right then and there! The thought of telling her beloved Matthew that he was going to be a grandfather was almost too tempting for her to withstand...almost. She bit her tongue, squeezing onto him tightly for a moment before letting go. She couldn’t deprive Gilbert of such a moment, so she withheld the urge to spoil the news and settled with giving him a beaming smile, ignoring the cramp that had settled in her belly once more. 

It wasn’t frightfully cold as they made their way home, and Anne was more than content to be curled up into Matthew’s side, rattling on and on about the finer moments of the semester (and avoiding altogether the darker parts of her depressive spiral in November) while he listened on dutifully, only humming in agreement or understanding when the conversation called for it. 

“As much as I would love to see Marilla and the rest tonight, I’m frightfully tired from the trip and fear I won’t make it more than five minutes before I’m sleeping like the dead once I get inside.” Anne said as they stopped in front of her house, the steady stream of smoke rising from the chimney promising warmth when she stepped inside. “I’ll come over for supper tomorrow, how does that sound?” 

Matthew nodded, reaching out to tug on a loose strand of hair. “Sounds perfect to me, you go on inside and I’ll have Bash help me with your trunk.” 

Anne smiled brightly, leaning in quickly to press a cold kiss to his cheek before climbing down, marching determinedly towards the house, more than ready for a nice, long nap to prepare her for the endless joy that was sure to come that holiday season. 

* * *

She started bleeding the next day. 

Looking back on it all, she felt like an idiot for not noticing it sooner. The exhaustion, achiness, and cramps should have been a dead give away. She should have known that it was coming. She had seen Mrs. Hammond lose a pregnancy when she was still in their service, she remembered the bleeding and the cries of pain from the mean old woman. Yet nothing could have prepared her for the sight of bright crimson blood on the crotch of her drawers, her stomach twisting painfully in unrelenting cramps that had only gotten increasingly worse since she had gotten home. She wasn’t able to hold back the sob that left her throat as she doubled over, a hand pressed to her belly as a wave of grief washed over her. 

She needed help. There was no way she would know what to do, and as much as she wanted to keep the baby- and the loss of it- a secret, she wouldn’t risk her life by not getting aid in her most desperate hour. She barely managed to put on her dressing gown, covering the blood stained clothes as she walked on unsteady feet down to the kitchen, another debilitating cramp twisting in her belly as she went, pulling a hiss of pain from her lips as she gripped the door frame so tightly her knuckles went white. 

“Anne? What’s the matter, child?” Hazel asked, her voice laced with concern as Anne stumbled into the kitchen, knees weak and her head spinning as she fell into one of the chairs, her head dropping into her hands. Her shoulders shook as she began crying heavy sobs, every cramp and gush of fluid between her legs a harrowing reminder of what was happening to her. 

“I-I think I-I’m losing t-the b-b-baby.” She stammered in between cries, her words barely comprehensible as Hazel knelt in front of her, setting her hands gently on her knees. 

“Baby?” Hazel asked in shock, her eyebrows lifting at the unexpected news. Anne lifted her head from her hands, feeling as if her brain had been replaced with lead from the effort it took to do so, nodding weakly to confirm. 

“I’m almost three m-months g-gone,” She said, sniffling pitifully as she stumbled over her words. “But a few days ago I s-started f-feeling unwell and c-cramping and n-n-now I’m b-bleeding!” 

“Oh my heavens,” Hazel sighed sadly, reaching out to stroke her hair gently in a rare show of maternal affection. “Let me get Bash to fetch Marilla and Rachel-” 

“No!” Anne cried, shaking her head emphatically at the suggestion. Hazel leaned away from her, taken aback by her outburst. “You can’t tell them, Hazel. Only Gilbert and my friends from school know, and I need for it to stay that way. Marilla has been so eager for a grandchild and she would be devastated to know that I was pregnant but lost the baby. I-I couldn’t break her heart like that, please swear to me that you’ll tell no one of this, p-please Hazel.” 

A look of trepidation fell over the work-worn features of the woman’s face, and after a moment of internal debate she sighed, nodding in concession of Anne’s requests. 

“I won’t tell a soul, if that’s what you want.” She said, reaching out to grab Anne’s arm. “Let’s get you changed and into bed. I’ve seen this happen too many times in my life with too many women, and if the bleeding has started, there’s nothing we can do now but wait.” 

What followed was the most miserable and desolate two days of Anne’s life. If she thought she felt wretched before, her pain only grew worse and worse as the time passed. It was worse than any cramps she had ever felt as her body rejected the life it had only just begun creating. Hazel played the part of her dutiful nurse the entire time, helping her change the rags in her drawers every few hours, and the sheets twice when the rags had not been enough to catch the blood. She kept her fed and watered, feeding her spoonfuls of pale broth and bringing her a stocking filled with rice that had been heated over the fire to hold against her stomach when the pain was unbearable. Otherwise, Anne laid in bed, feeling horrifyingly numb. 

Though the physical pain was immense, the emotional toil that she endured hurt infinitely worse than the cramping. The thought of her baby, one that she had initially been terrified of but had quickly come to terms with the thought of raising, was gone. Her body had failed and betrayed her, and the pain sunk its claws deeper and deeper into her soul with every cramp and bloody rag that was changed. The grief was overwhelming, and she spent those two days in bouts of fitful sleep, in tears, or staring at the wall across from the bed, numb and inconsolable despite Hazel’s best efforts to soothe her. 

She blamed herself. How could she not? She had wished for so long that the baby didn’t exist in the first place, and now she was getting exactly what she had wanted. Except she had changed her mind from her initial thoughts. She wanted the baby  _ so badly  _ and it felt like a part of her soul was dying alongside the tiny child within her. There were moments in her life, both good and bad, that she knew impacted her and left her a different woman than she had been previously. Her years of uncertainty and servitude prior to her life in Avonlea, signing the Cuthbert family bible, her first kiss with Gilbert in the woods on the path to Green Gables, the frigid night Josie came into her room heartbroken and hurting, the scandal at the Christmas panto, the first time she and Gilbert made love on the cold floor of his apartment in Toronto. All of those moments, and countless others had made her into a new Anne. But now she was shedding another layer, another moment had come and changed her into something completely new. She had lost her child before it was ever truly hers, and she knew that would never be the same. 

Perhaps it was fate, telling her that she needed to be more careful with what she wished for. That even though she had never said it aloud, the cruel hands of fate still knew of the depraved words she had written in her diary. Why was life such a fickle, wretched thing! Why did it steal her child away from her right when she started to love it the way a mother should? She had spent more time resenting the child than loving it, and that fact alone doubled her pain and turmoil. 

She could go back to Redmond. She could finish her degree. She could continue on with the plans that she had laid out for herself. Isn’t that what she had wanted? To fulfill her own destiny, to be the bride of adventure and live life by her own terms? 

She would have traded it all if it meant she could have her baby back. 

Her sorrow grew tenfold when her thoughts turned to Gilbert. Her sweet, strong, loving Gilbert, who was blissfully unaware of the tragedy he was about to come home to. The thought alone made Anne cry the entire morning the day he was due to arrive. She cried while Hazel fed her breakfast, barely swallowing the small spoonfuls of oatmeal before another whimper left her lips. She cried the entire walk down the stairs to the bath Hazel had made for her, her legs shaking with effort after being bedridden for so long. She cried as she stripped off her clothes and saw the flecks of dried blood lingering on her thighs coupled with the fresh blood smeared there too. She whimpered as she stepped into the tub, glancing down at her body as she gripped onto Hazel for support. Her stomach still held the gentle curve that she had developed in early December, and her tears began to fall in earnest as she sunk down into the water, resting her head against the tub as her quiet, heartbroken sobs filled the kitchen. 

Gilbert was going to be devastated. 

* * *

Tired and grouchy from the long journey from Toronto to Avonlea, Gilbert’s mood was only made worse when he found Bash alone at the train station. The last he had heard from his wife, she said that she would be there to greet him when he got home, and it was all he had thought of in the twenty four hours he had been travelling. He had been an anxious mess ever since he had received the letter from Anne a month earlier, telling him that she was pregnant and panicking, and all he wanted was to wrap her up in his arms and give her some measure of reassurance. A baby was certainly not in their plans for the immediate future, but he had no doubt in his mind that they would figure it out together, just like every challenge they had faced. 

“Where’s Anne?” He asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

“She’s been sick the past few days, and hasn’t left bed. Mother’s been taking care of her, but she hasn’t let anyone else in the room, not even Dellie.” Bash said, face drawn together with concern. Gilbert nodded once, taking in the information. He was sure it was nothing more than morning sickness, but it was obvious that Bash didn’t know about the baby, and he decided to let it lie until he had the chance to talk with Anne about telling their friends and family. 

He thought about it the entire ride home, almost bouncing out of his seat in the excitement of it all. Perhaps they could drop the news at Christmas dinner? Maybe they could wrap up an old rattle of Delphine’s for Matthew and Marilla to open, or tell Dellie the news and let the excitable child shout the news to their families. Another idea was to wait until their anniversary on New Years Eve, and tell everyone on their second anniversary that they were expecting. He couldn’t hide his smile for that idea, though he suspected that Anne wouldn’t want to wait that long to tell everyone, and part of him didn’t want to wait that long either. There were a thousand different ways that they could break the news, and he got more and more excited about sharing his ideas with Anne when he arrived home. 

They had hardly made it home before Gilbert was jumping down from the carriage, remembering to grab his suitcase as an afterthought, before taking off into the house and ignoring the frustrated calls from Bash to help him with the carriage. He had much better things to do than that. 

He found Hazel in the kitchen when he entered, and he couldn’t help but pull her into a tight hug even though she was liable to cuff him for it, but knew that the risk was worth it. If Hazel had been taking care of Anne, she certainly must have known about the baby, and that was why he pulled away with a bright smile on his face. 

“Did Anne tell you? Isn’t it wonderful news? How’s she feeling?” He asked in rapid succession, keeping his voice low just in case Bash or Elijah came in. He expected for her to look at least a little excited, or for her to roll her eyes and tell him to stop with his nonsense, but when he saw the somber look on Hazel’s face his heart dropped all the way to his toes. 

“Gilbert,” She said slowly, reaching out to set a hand on his shoulder as she sighed sadly, her dark eyes filled with sympathy. “You best go up and see her. She needs you right now.” 

His suitcase fell to the floor with a loud  _ thud _ as he tore out of the kitchen, sprinting up the stairs as his heart beat rapidly in his throat, a kind of fear he had never felt before flooding his body. He practically burst into his and Anne’s bedroom, dropping to his knees by the bed next to where his wife- his  _ Anne _ \- was lying in a shapeless heap of linens and quilts. 

“Anne,” He breathed, reaching out to stroke her cheek gently. She whimpered, opening her eyes to look at him with watery, bloodshot eyes. “What’s wrong? Please tell me what’s wrong.” 

“Gil,” She whispered, her voice breaking as she said the single syllable of his name, reaching out to take his hand in both of hers and she sniffled weakly, a tear rolling down her cheek. “The baby…” 

That was all she was able to get out before she broke down into tears, hiding her face in the mattress. Her tears, coupled with the blood soaked rags sitting on a pile at the foot of the bed was all Gilbert needed to connect the dots. 

There had been a baby, but there wasn’t anymore. 

He felt his heart shatter in his chest as every daydream and fantasy of his for the last three months crumbled around him, and he didn’t try to stop the tears when they came, running fat and hot down his cheeks. He simply knelt on the floor, Anne’s hands clutched in his as they cried and mourned together, the picture of their future that they had just begun to accept shattering irreparably around them. 

  
  



	8. Eight

**December 1902**

“Can I tell Bash? Or Henry? I feel like I’ll go crazy if I don’t have anyone to talk to about this.” Gilbert asked quietly after they spent a long while in silence. Gilbert had climbed into bed beside her at some point, his knees aching fiercely from the unforgiving wooden floor as he clutched onto his wife. 

“Will you just tell one? I think I’m going to tell Diana for my own sanity as well and leave it at that. There’s no use in upsetting our loved ones.” Anne said after a few moments of thought, her voice hoarse from the crying. Gilbert sighed, understanding the logic of her statement as he buried his face into the crook of her neck. She had been stubborn in keeping the baby a secret, and he couldn’t help but be thankful that they hadn’t broken the news yet. 

“Tell me what I can do.” He asked after another heavy bout of silence. Anne sniffled, shifting slightly to rest her head on his chest. 

“I need to write to the girls and tell them I’ll be returning to Redmond in January.” She said, and Gilbert nodded. He was tempted to ask if she thought that was a good idea, if she would be healthy enough both physically and mentally by then to return to school, but he knew better than that. If she said that she wanted to go back to school, there wasn’t a power on earth that could stop her. 

“I’ll do it tonight, don’t worry about it a minute more.” He said, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. “What else? What have you told Matthew and Marilla?” 

“They think I have a terrible flu and I don’t want them to risk catching it. As much as I love them, I don’t think I can bear seeing them now. I’m hoping I can make it until Christmas, then I suppose we’ll have to go over there for dinner.” She said with an exhausted sigh that told him that she was already worn out just thinking of having to brave going to Green Gables for Christmas dinner. 

“If you’re feeling up to it, then yes, I think it would be good for you to see your family. I’m sure they’re worried sick about you. Maybe sometime in the next few days we can call for Diana to come visit? How does that sound?” He asked softly, rubbing smooth, gentle circles across the expanse of Anne’s back. She thought about his proposition for a moment before nodding once. 

“That might be nice.” She said weakly, and Gilbert smiled. 

“It will be.” He said, pressing one last kiss to the top of her head. “Will you be alright for a bit? I’m going to go get some supper and talk with Bash. Have you eaten yet? Are you hungry?” 

“I’m not hungry, but I haven’t had an appetite for days now. I should probably try to eat something, though, could you ask Hazel to bring something up?” Anne asked, lifting her head to look up at him. 

“Of course, I’ll be back soon.” Gilbert said, offering her a reassuring smile before sliding out of bed and leaving their room, letting the door close behind him with a soft  _ click _ . He dropped his strong exterior the second the door was closed, biting down on his bottom lip as a fresh wave of grief fell over him. He hated that Anne had been without him for the worst of it all, that he had been so unaware of his wife’s suffering while he finished up his exams, his biggest worry being whether or not he passed his Chemistry class. 

He felt like his heart had been replaced with lead as he trudged down the stairs, dropping himself into a chair in the kitchen and setting his head in his hands. The sound of little feet came puttering down the hallway, and he lifted his head just in time for Dellie to come sprinting into the room in a flurry of ruffles and curls, all but throwing herself into his arms. 

“Uncle Gilby, you’re home!” She cheered happily, wrapping her arms around his neck. Gilbert managed a chuckle at his niece’s exuberance, wrapping her in a tight embrace. Sorrow gripped his heart in an iron fist as he held onto her, and before he could even try to stop himself he was crying again, his shoulders shaking with heavy sobs as he buried his nose into her curls. 

“Are you okay, Gilby?” Dellie asked curiously, her voice muffled by his shirt as she squirmed in his grip. He couldn’t offer her a response, he wouldn’t lie to his niece and tell her that everything was alright, instead he just held onto her as tightly as he could as the hurt permeated into the depths of his soul. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he felt a firm, solid hand rest on his shoulder, prompting him to loosen his grip on his niece, allowing her to wiggle out of his arms. Hazel herded her out of the room before he could make up some excuse for his behavior, murmuring something to the toddler that he wasn’t able to catch. He was left alone in the kitchen with Bash then, who had not moved from his position behind Gilbert, his hand still resting on his shoulder. 

“Can you get the moonshine?” Gilbert asked weakly, his voice cracking halfway through the sentence. He kept his head down as Bash’s footsteps faded away, only to come back a moment later, the sound of heavy glass hitting the table making him lift his head. A few healthy swallows of shine later, already feeling slightly more numb than he had been, Gilbert finally looked up at Bash, who was watching him with worry filled eyes. 

He cleared his throat, trying to pull himself together to tell Bash the news. It was a battle he was going to lose before it had even begun, and all he was able to get out before breaking down once more was, “I was going to be a father.” 

A strained sob left him as the words left his mouth, folding in on himself as he chest throbbed painfully for what felt like the millionth time that day. Or maybe the pain had remained there the entire time, and only when he thought about the son or daughter he had never gotten to hold or touch did the pain flair up to something that bordered on unbearable. 

He was no stranger to loss. In fact, his life had been permeated by it from the moment he was born. He knew that he had siblings that had not made it out of childhood, and his mother had left the world right as he had entered it (which also gave him an acute sense of anxiety of losing those he cared about during childbirth. He had felt it first with Mary, then Josie, and then ten-fold starting the moment he received the telegram from Anne in November), and then his father had left him as the last Blythe when he was on the cusp of adulthood. It was almost comical looking back on it all, that at fifteen he had thought that he was grown. He blamed it on his naivety, but he couldn’t have been more wrong in his mindset. He was realizing more and more that at the ripe age of twenty two, he still had a lot to learn about what it meant to be a man. The truth of the matter was that he was more boy than man when he had lost everything, the last remaining branch on his family tree, and it had given him much more of a complex than he realized. 

Perhaps that was why the loss of his first child hurt so badly. He was no longer the only Blythe, Anne bore his name and wore it like a shroud of honor, and it filled him with pride every time he heard her full name or read it in her perfect script in the top left corner of an envelope. At the same time, the thought of his family tree blossoming from the single remaining branch back into the vibrant, thriving thing it had been once upon a time, like the stories his father had told him growing up, filled him with a hope he had only felt a handful of times in his life. Just as it had begun to blossom, that hope had been squashed, leaving him feeling more fractured and broken than ever before. 

There were so many things he needed to do. He needed to write to Anne’s friends, he needed to toss the letter he had written to Henry in the fire and draft another one that told him that they had nothing to worry about. He needed to talk to Hazel about what she had been doing to take care of Anne while he had been gone. He needed to examine her himself to ensure that there wasn’t a risk for infection. He needed to talk about his feelings and regain his strength for when he faced Anne again, knowing that she needed him to be a rock in the tumultuous waters they had found themselves in. He knew good and well exactly what he needed to be doing, but in that moment all he could do was sit there in the kitchen and cry as Bash held onto him tightly, grieving alongside him just as they always did. 

* * *

The holiday season was bleak for both of them. Anne stayed in bed for the most part, only getting out of bed the afternoon that Diana came over to visit. She almost looked like the Anne he knew before the baby, care-free and light on her feet, but no matter how good the mask she put on was, he was still able to see the cracks that lined the surface. He let the two women be, hiding away in his and Anne’s bedroom to get a jumpstart on reading for the next semester, praying that Anne would be able to find some solace in one of her best friends. 

Far sooner than he expected Anne was barging into their room, tears already running down her face. 

“Anne, what’s wrong?” Gilbert said, up like a shot from where he had been lounging on the bed, drawing her into his arms to hold her close. “Did you tell Diana?” 

Anne shook her head, sputtering through her sobs as she fought to get words out. “N-no, I-I couldn’t!” She cried, burying her face into the soft flannel of his shirt. 

“Why not?” He asked, his heart sinking in his chest as Anne’s sobbing grew louder and infinitely more heartbreaking. 

“S-she’s pregnant!” She finally sobbed, clutching onto him tightly. “How awful would I be if I spoiled her good news with mine! She was so happy Gilbert, I couldn’t bear to upset her!” 

Gilbert’s heart broke for the millionth time, adding another thing to his mental list of things to do.  _ Call on Diana and Fred to congratulate them on the pregnancy. Don’t mention that their joy only furthered Anne and I’s grief.  _

“I’m so sorry, darling.” Gilbert cooed, rubbing her back gently as she cried in his arms. “I know you’re hurting, I am too. But I’m not going anywhere, I’ll be right here as long as you’ll have me. I know it won’t replace what we’ve lost, but it’ll be our turn one day, and when it is we’ll have an army of children running around. Isn’t that what I told you before we got married?” 

Anne nodded weakly, her breath shuttering as she lifted her head up. “It feels as if the pain will never go away.” She whimpered. 

“I know,” Gilbert agreed, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of her head. “We can only hope that it will one day, and in the meantime, all we can do is lean on each other and pray for this pain to pass quickly.” 

* * *

When Anne had left Patty’s Place in early December, she did not expect to return anytime soon. She wasn’t going to be so dramatic as to say that she would never have returned, she liked to leave room for serendipitous moments to occur, but she knew that it would be a good long while before she would be able to visit. 

That was why it was strange when she walked into her beloved house after Christmas holidays, feeling like a stranger in her own home as she climbed the steps to the landing, her feet dragging as she slowly made her way down to her bedroom. 

“I can’t stay long, my train leaves in an hour and a half.” Gilbert said quietly as they set her trunk on the floor. 

“Alright,” Anne said, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked up into her husband’s eyes. He had been her safe haven in the middle of the storm they had endured over the past month. “Will you lie with me for a minute before you go?” 

“How about a walk?” He suggested. Anne bit down on her lip, wanting more than anything to turn down his request and insist on staying in bed. Truth be told, she found herself wanting to lie under the safety of his quilts more than anything more often than not, and while Gilbert had let her grieve in her own way at her own pace, she noticed that he had gently started pushing to get her out of the house the closer they got to returning to school. 

He was worried about her, that much was obvious, and she knew that he was going to struggle leaving her behind in Kingsport knowing that she was still struggling with the loss of their baby. That was why she found herself agreeing to the walks and outings he had suggested to her, wanting more than anything to show Gilbert that she would be alright when he wasn’t there to take care of her. 

Was she certain that she would be alright? No, she wasn’t. Her heart still heart tremendously, and the guilt that she carried was crippling at the best of times, but she also knew that life was going to continue moving on. Whether or not she continued on with it was up to her. All she could do was take each day as it came, and do her best to get through it no matter what was thrown at her. In that moment though, doing her best looked like bucking up and taking a walk with her husband, rather than falling into bed and crying the day away. 

“I suppose a walk could be just what the doctor ordered.” Anne said, mustering up the strength to put on a smile as she slipped her hand into Gilbert’s, following him out of Patty’s Place and into the snowy afternoon.    
  


**October 1906**

“My God, Anne! Why didn’t you tell me?” Josie gasped as Anne finished her tale, wiping at her eyes to fend off the tears that threatened to fall. 

“I was going to at one point, but then I got a letter from you saying that you were pregnant again and I…” Anne sighed, taking a sip from her now frigid tea just to have something to do. 

“It was just how it was with Diana, wasn’t it?” Josie guessed, and Anne confirmed her suspicions with a nod. 

“I didn’t get out of bed all day after I read it.” She admitted with a weak chuckle before giving her friend a stern look. “And don’t you dare feel bad about that, you had no way of knowing. I love William and Fred Jr. with all of my heart and wouldn’t trade them for the world.” 

“But surely it must have felt like a punch to the gut seeing the two of us pregnant at the same time.” Josie said, raising an eyebrow at her. 

“Oh, of course it did,” Anne said with a shrug. “And it still does hurt sometimes, knowing that I could have a little one smack in between those two. It hurt especially bad when I became pregnant with Hazel. There was a great deal of fear and grief, but the adage has proven to be true: time heals all wounds… or at the very least lessens the severity of them.” 

“Well, if it means anything now, I’m sorry you had to go through such a horrible circumstance. I’m also sorry you felt as if you couldn’t approach me about it. You’ve stood by me in my lowest moments, and I want you to feel as if you can do the same with me.” Josie said sincerely, reaching out to take Anne’s hands in hers. “Even if I’m celebrating something, that doesn’t mean I can’t also mourn beside you at the same time.” 

Anne chuckled, squeezing her friend’s hands. “Of course, I know that good and well now. Keep in mind that I was nineteen and was panicking about being pregnant in the first place, I probably could have gone the entire nine months without telling a soul, if I had it my way.” 

Josie laughed then, only to quiet down a moment later when the pitter patter of little feet approached outside of the bedroom, followed by a call of “ _ Mama? _ ” through the door. 

“I think we’ve been found out,” Josie tittered, standing up from the chaise when the doorknob started to twist. Anne smiled, joining her as she opened the door, raising an eyebrow Sam and William were revealed, Sam standing on his younger brother’s back in order to reach the doorknob.

“And just what do you think you two are doing?” Josie asked, hiding her amusement behind a cool expression. 

“I want to play with Baby Hazy, but Uncle Gilbert said no.” Sam said with a pout, stepping down from his brother’s back, letting William stand up to his full height. The two were almost twins, with only thirteen months separating them in age and William’s dark hair contrasting Sam’s blond. One thing was for certain, they gave Josie and Henry a run for their money in their scheming, and they were only going to get worse as they got older. 

“Is she sleeping?” Anne asked, trying to hold back her laughter. Sam nodded, and Anne hummed. 

“Well, we best not wake her up, she has to sleep a lot so she can grow to be big and strong just like you two. How about we fix you two a little snack, and when Hazel wakes up from her nap, you can help me give her a bottle. Would you like that?” She propositioned, watching as Sam’s eyes lit up with excitement over the prospect of helping. With a happy cheer William and Sam took off down the hallway, tearing down the stairs to the kitchen for their snack as Anne and Josie trailed behind, with Anne walking with more levity than she had in a very long time knowing that a secret she had held so tightly to her chest did not have to remain there any longer. 

  
  



	9. Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note the rating change, there's nothing too crazy, but I just wanted to play it safe! Hope you enjoy this fluffier chapter after all of the angst!

**May 1905**

The little cottage that stood in front of them was all Anne had ever dreamed of and more. She had spent quite a long time waiting for the exact moment that they were in, standing on the cusp of the rest of their lives. It was all a long time coming, their days of education finally behind them with all of their wildest dreams and even more than they could possibly imagine ahead of them. 

It had been one thing moving to Toronto to join Gilbert during his last year of school, sharing a tiny apartment only a few blocks away from the campus. Of course Anne had been ecstatic to _finally_ be living under the same roof of her husband after three and a half years of marriage (and she was also _very_ happy to receive a housewarming gift from Emily Oak, slyly slipped in her hand as they left her house a few days after she had arrived. When they returned home she had opened the tin to find a small sponge wrapped in netting with instructions on how to insert the little device that would help prevent an unwanted pregnancy. Gilbert had blushed like a fool at the thought of Emily giving them contraception, while Anne was not bashful in the slightest and promptly made her a batch of biscuits to thank her for the gift.) 

She loved being in Toronto, she really did. It was marvelous, being on her own schedule for the first time in her life. If she wanted to visit Gilbert on campus for his lunch break, she could. If she wanted to spend her whole day clacking away on the typewriter Gilbert had gotten her as a graduation/twenty-first birthday/third anniversary present, she had no one telling her that she couldn’t. When Josie gave birth to her third child (another boy, poor woman was going to lose her sanity once they were grown), she was free to run off to Ottawa to help the new family of five for nearly a month before she decided that she missed Gilbert too much and boarded a train back home. The autonomy was fantastic, and having the love of her life walk through the door at the end of the day was not something that she would ever take for granted. As much as she loved living in Toronto though, she knew that it was only a temporary home for them. It was not where they would settle down for the long term, and perhaps that was what was so exciting about their new life in Stepney Creek. 

The house that stood in front of them was _theirs._ They could paint every room a different color if they wanted to. They could have purple walls and teal curtains, and no one would be able to tell them that they couldn’t- though Anne suspected Marilla would think it was horrendously gaudy, but she couldn’t tell them to change it. Anne could plant whatever she wanted in the little garden plot on the side of the house, whether it be parsnips or petunias or tomatoes or tulips, it was hers to cultivate and grow. They could have parties and picnics or never invite anyone if that’s what they wanted. But the thing Anne was most excited about was the prospect of knowing that hopefully one day very soon, they would fill the house with the family they had always wanted. That thought alone filled her with excitement she had not been able to kick for a very long time. 

“Are you ready, Mrs. Blythe?” Gilbert asked her with a beaming smile, taking her hand gently in his to pull her from her fanciful thoughts. 

“More than you could possibly imagine, _Doctor_ Blythe.” She replied, watching with pride as her husband’s smile grew impossibly wide. With a small laugh he tugged her forward towards their front door, and she followed him up the porch steps, shrieking with laughter when he scooped her up into his arms at the last moment to carry her over the threshold into the house, kicking the door shut behind him as a new chapter of their lives began. 

* * *

It didn’t take long for them to get down to business. 

Actually, it took them approximately four minutes after they got in the front door of their house before Anne was perched on the kitchen table, her skirts bunched around her thighs as Gilbert stood in between them, working on the buttons of her blouse. 

“Tell me what you want, Anne-girl.” He groaned against the curve of her neck, biting down on the tender skin as it was revealed to him. Anne gasped, wrapping her legs around his waist to draw him in closer as she dug her fingers into the soft fabric of his shirt. 

“I want you to give me a baby, Gil.” She whispered, pulling a groan from her husband as his hips ground into hers. 

“Yeah?” He asked, his words no more than a gasp as he abandoned his task of undoing her blouse in favor of lifting her up off of the table, keeping her legs wrapped around his waist as he walked through the house towards their bedroom. She was thankful that Marilla and Rachel had made the trek to Stepney Creek while Gilbert was finishing up exams to set up their house for when they arrived after his graduation. If they hadn’t, Gilbert would have dropped her on a bare mattress, not the plush quilt that covered their bed. Anne made a mental note to write them a letter giving them her gratitude, but that thought was far from the most important topic on her mind. Letter writing could wait. 

Their hands worked quickly once they were on the mattress, pushing clothing out of the way until they were tangled up together, skin on skin as Gilbert settled over her, leaning down to press a slow, teasing kiss to her lips. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to wait a little while?” He teased, nipping at her bottom lip as he nudged at her entrance. 

“I’ve waited four and a half years, Gil. I’m sure I want a baby, and I want one right now.” She said impatiently, not in the mood for his playfulness as she pushed her hips up towards his, gasping as he sunk into her slightly. 

“Ask and you shall receive.” He chuckled, leaning down to capture her lips in a bruising kiss as he thrust into her with well practiced movements. 

It was different, making love in their own house. There was no chance of anyone walking in on them, or hearing them through thin walls. They could be as loud as they cared to be, or as quiet. They could do it in every room of the house if they really wanted to- which it would probably become a sort of game if they did take up that endeavour.

There was also the added level of excitement about not having to worry about pregnancy for the first time in their entire marriage. Anne remembered all too well the panic she had felt the one and only time Gilbert had finished inside of her, and the terror that remained through her first missed cycle, and then her second. It was nerve wracking even after Emily had given her the sponge, though they still used an abundance of caution, not wanting for Anne to get pregnant a second time before they were ready for it. After years of waiting, they were finally ready for it, and it was all Anne had been able to think about for months as they prepared to move from Toronto to Stepney Creek. She had seen Josie have three children of her own, Diana two, and Ruby one, and Anne was more than eager to join her friends in the ranks of motherhood. 

There was also an added layer of fear that the both of them held hidden away deep inside of them, one that had taken root when they lost their first baby two and a half years prior. Anne would have been lying if she had said that she wasn’t fearful of losing another baby- the more irrational of her fears telling her that she would never be able to carry a pregnancy to term. What if she simply couldn’t get pregnant again even once they began actively trying for a baby? The myriad of fears made her head spin, and she forced them out of her head and brought herself back to the present moment: spread out on her new bed in her new home, making love to the man of her dreams. 

“ _Anne,”_ Gilbert groaned into the skin of her throat, his fingers flexing into her hips, guiding them to roll up into his as he drove into her. She gasped, her head thrown back against the pillow as his free hand took hers, lacing their fingers together to hold them above her head. “Anne, I’m so close.” 

Her legs were trembling when she wrapped them around his waist, locking her ankles together to keep him close as he moaned loudly a moment later, his hips going still as he spilled himself inside of her, dropping his hand to her center to rub quick circles, dragging her over the edge along with him. 

“I love you so much, Gilbert Blythe.” She whispered as they came down from their shared high, dusting kisses over his shoulder as he nuzzled into the skin of her neck. 

“I love you too, Anne Blythe.” He said, still loving the sound of his surname attached to hers, even though it was far from being new. “I never want to leave this bed.” 

Anne giggled, reaching down to smack his backside lightly. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to, I’m afraid I’ll ruin this quilt if you don’t go get a towel for me.” 

The comment drew a loud bark of laughter from him, and he begrudgingly got up from the bed. He gave her one last kiss before setting off on his search for the requested item, forgoing trousers as he did so, while Anne laid back on the bed and enjoyed the view of him walking away. 

* * *

_July 7, 1905_

_Dear Anne,_

_While I could begin this letter with fluffy pleasantries and the like, it was never quite my style to beat around the bush, so I’ll be plain with it: Are you pregnant yet? I’m going absolutely crazy thinking about it (I also feel like a massive hypocrite for asking, how many times did we complain to each other about our loved ones pestering us about children? Feel free to throw curses at me in your response, if I’ve vexed you with my inquiry.) It’s just that now that I know you’re all settled in at Stepney Creek, and that you’ve told me in the past that you and Gilbert would begin trying once you moved, I’ve been sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for news._

_Henry just looked over my shoulder at what I was writing and told me it was rude to ask such a thing, I told him it was rude to read someone’s personal correspondence, and that I didn’t give a rat’s rear end if it was rude or not. I think it also embarrasses him thinking about you and Gilbert in such a position that makes conception possible (I don’t understand how he’s still such a prude despite the fact that he’s made a sport of keeping me pregnant. Speaking of, fair is fair: to my knowledge I’m not expecting right now, though with Henry around that’s subject to change at any moment.)_

~~_I’ve been told by my very nosy husband, who is_ _still_ _reading over my shoulder, that I’m not allowed to talk about his very voracious appetites, but if he’s insistent upon reading my letters then he is more than welcome to contribute to this one. Do you think I should ask him if he has any tips for conception? Since he seems to be such a professional at this point..._~~

**_Dear Anne, please ignore my wife, she’s being a mean hag who’s hell bent on embarrassing me right now. I hope you and Gilbert are enjoying your new home. -Henry_ **

_Anywho, he’s gone now, thank goodness. Sam came in wanting to play and Henry is unable to say no to him, leaving me blissfully alone to finish this letter. You’ll understand soon enough that your personal time becomes almost nonexistent once you have children, and while I would not trade my sons for anything in this world, my goodness do I miss the days of peace and quiet!_

_Anyways, I suppose I’m just being nosy, but you were the first of us to get married and will be the last of us to have a baby (Side note: I wish I could make the trip to Avonlea to see little miss Elaine McPherson, but Thomas is still too young for me to leave him and I’d hate to visit and bring another baby into the house, since there is no way I would stay with my parents. You’ll have to send my love to them if you go visit, give her and Diana’s children lots of kisses for me!) While I know it was out of necessity that you waited so long, that won’t stop me from being excited for you and Gilbert now that your turn has finally arrived. I pray that you have no trouble conceiving, and that I receive good news from you soon. Lord knows I need some gossip and girl talk, surrounded by all of these boys!_

_Write back as soon as you can, I can’t wait to hear all about your new home in Stepney Creek, please spare no details!_

_  
__All my love,_

_Josie_

* * *

_July 13, 1905_

_Dear Josie,_

_I can’t believe the nerve! After our innumerable hours of grouching about Lillian and Rachel pestering us about babies and when we’d be expecting, now you’ve turned around and done the exact same thing, you old biddy! (I’m just teasing, of course. I don’t mind you asking!) As of right now I can say that I don’t know whether or not I’m expecting. So far our attempts during May and June have proved unsuccessful, but I am keeping a positive attitude about the whole affair. In the plethora of unsolicited advice given to me by Rachel, she said it’s fairly normal for it to take a cycle or two before anything catches. While I often wanted to strangle the woman for being too damn nosy for her own good, I have to admit that she knows a thing or two about having children. Tell Henry that I believe he won’t gain professional status until you have at least five or six children, if only Mr. Lynde was still alive, I’m sure he’d be more than willing to share how he acquired his professional status! Can you imagine being pregnant twelve times? While I certainly want a large family, I’m not sure I could handle being pregnant for over a decade of my life!_

_All that to say: I can’t say for sure if I am pregnant or not. I suppose if you wait a week or two I’ll have an answer, but for the time being all we can do is wait. Rest assured, besides Gilbert you’ll likely be the first to know when something happens. I think it’s only fair seeing as how you told me first every time you’ve been expecting! I have to admit, it’s all frightfully exciting, and a long time coming. I’ve prayed every single morning and night since we moved to Stepney Creek that a baby would come quickly, so I appreciate your prayers as well!_

_Onto other matters, I’ll be going to Avonlea next month to visit Ruby and Moody (and baby Elaine! Oh my goodness, you won’t believe how much I cried when I got word that she had arrived and was a girl!) Will you reconsider visiting? I would love to see you, and you know good and well that you and Thomas could stay with me at the orchard. I’m sure Diana and Ruby would be thrilled to see you and the baby as well, perhaps we could surprise them with your arrival? I know I would love to see that chunky little man myself, tell me, are his little thighs as chubby as they were when he was a newborn? I swear to you I almost died thinking about all of his little rolls the other day, I don’t understand how a baby could be so positively scrumptious! Chunky baby thighs aside, will you please think about staying with me and let me know so I can make arrangements for the visit?_

_Give Sam, William, and Thomas lots of love and kisses from me and Gilbert, and tell Henry that I said hello (and that I’m sorry for laughing at his embarrassment, but your last letter was a complete hoot!) and I hope to send you word soon with good news about a little one of my own!_

_With love and affection,_

_Anne_

* * *

**August 1905**

“Gilbert?” 

“Yes, dear?” 

Anne paused, biting down on her bottom lip in the dark of their bedroom. She shifted, turning onto her side to rest her head on Gilbert’s chest, sighing quietly as he wrapped an arm around her waist to draw her in closer. 

“Is everything alright?” He probed, worried by her silence. She nodded quickly, not wanting to worry him. 

“Yes, everything’s alright. It’s just that I have something on my mind, but I’m scared to say it.” She whispered, tracing nonsensical patterns into Gilbert’s nightshirt to distract her from her anxiety.

“Scared to say what?” Gilbert asked, rubbing soothing circles into her back, as if gently prompting her to speak her mind when she was ready to do so. Anne took a deep breath, gathering her resolve to tell him what had been weighing heavily on her for the better part of a week. 

“I think I’m pregnant.” She finally said, looking up at him, barely making out his features in the low light. She felt the rumble of a chuckle from his chest as his arms tightened around her. 

“I knew it.” He said victoriously, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. 

“What do you mean, you knew it? I’m not even sure myself!” She said indignantly, sitting up to look down at him with an annoyed expression. 

“Well I didn’t see you washing any rags this past month! I just assumed that meant that you hadn’t had a need for them, am I wrong in my assumption?” He asked with a laugh, raising an eyebrow up at her. Anne huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“No, you aren’t.” She grumbled. Gilbert rolled his eyes playfully, sitting up to match Anne’s position, gently pulling her into his lap. 

“Now don’t be a grump, Mrs. Blythe. This is something to be happy about!” He said happily, nuzzling her cheek with his nose. “Isn’t this what you wanted?” 

“Yes,” Anne admitted. “But I wanted our other baby as well, and that didn’t stop me from losing it.” 

“You can’t think like that, darling.” Gilbert sighed, knowing all too well how much the loss of their first pregnancy had affected Anne. 

“I can’t help it! What if the same thing happens again this time? What if I can’t carry a baby to term at all?” Anne cried, throwing her hands into the air as she finally verbalized her deepest fears. Gilbert sighed at her admission, rubbing her back gently in an attempt to soothe her. 

“Then we’ll figure something else out, but that hasn’t happened and we have no reason to think that it will. I’ve told you, sometimes things just happen and there’s nothing we can do to stop it, but that doesn’t mean that there will be a pattern. I know you’re scared Anne, believe me, I am too, but please don’t let your fear take away the joy of this.” He said, stroking her hair as she buried her head into his chest. 

There was a short pause as Anne thought through his plea. He was right of course, everything he said made sense logically, but that still didn’t stop the irrational part of her brain from thinking the worst. 

“Can we wait another month or two before telling everyone? I think I’ll go ahead and tell Josie when I see her next week, but I would like to wait until after the third month to say anything to anyone else. We can make up a fib about not realizing it until then, please, Gilbert?” She asked, her eyes wide and strikingly blue in the pale light of the moon. 

“If that’s what would make you feel better, then yes, we can wait.” Gilbert said with a small nod, gently grabbing her chin to bring her lips to his for a kiss. 

Of course her fears had not gone away completely from his words, she was certain that they would linger in her mind for far longer than she wanted them to, but she did recognize that Gilbert had a point. She couldn’t let the fear of losing another pregnancy take away all of the joy of it. She had hoped and prayed for the baby inside of her for a very long time, and she would not waste time letting herself be consumed by negative emotions like she had done the first time. She could, and would, be happy about their growing family, and if the unthinkable were to happen again, she and Gilbert could cross that bridge when they came to it, if they did at all. 

  
  



	10. Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little bit shorter than I would have liked, but I'm still happy with how it turned out, and I hope y'all agree with me!

**August 1905**

Anne’s plan of waiting to tell everyone that she was pregnant didn’t exactly go the way she wanted it to. In fact, her plan was thrown out of the window within only a few short hours of being in Avonlea. 

The unravelling of her carefully laid plans began with Josie. The two met up in Bright River to finish the journey to Avonlea, exchanging hugs and wet kisses to baby Thomas’s chubby cheeks before seeking out Bash, who was waiting for them with the carriage to take them back to the orchard. 

They hadn't even gotten out of Bright River before Anne was about to burst, completely unable to hold her excitement from her best friend for another moment. Trying to hold back her smile she leaned in close, biting down on her lip to stop a giggle from escaping her as she spoke. 

“I have something to tell you,” She whispered into Josie’s ear, only to jump away when the blonde woman squealed loudly before she could tell her what her news was. 

_“Oh my God!”_ She shrieked, scaring Thomas awake from his nap. “You’re pregnant, aren’t you?!” 

Anne snorted, casting a quick look to where Bash had obviously heard Josie’s exclamation and was giving her a very unsubtle look, as if waiting for her response. She rolled her eyes at her usually cool and collected friend, who chose the most inopportune moment to show uncharacteristic glee. _So much for keeping it a secret._

“Yes, you loudmouth.” Anne huffed, upholding her sour mood for only a moment before it broke and she let a bright smile take over her face as Josie pulled her into an embrace, a fussing Thomas between them. 

“When do you think you’re due?” She asked once she pulled away, bouncing her son lightly to console him as he protested being woken up from his nap. 

“I have no idea, April maybe? It’s still incredibly early, which is why we were _planning_ on waiting another month or so before telling everyone else.” Anne said, giving a pointed look towards Bash. Josie blushed at the realization that she had spoiled their plans, giving her friend a sheepish smile. 

“Sorry.” She said with an apologetic shrug, and Anne just laughed at her reaction, waving off her concern. 

“Don’t you worry about it,” She said before turning to Bash with a raised eyebrow. “I suppose the cat’s out of the bag. You’ll finally be an uncle next spring, how does that feel?” 

Bash flashed her a bright smile before throwing his head back to whoop into the sky, looking absolutely elated to hear the news. She knew it meant more to Bash than it did to Josie because he was aware of the baby they had lost previously, and she wished that he wasn’t driving the wagon so she could pull him into a tight hug. 

“It feels fantastic, I only wish Gilbert were here so I could kiss him on the mouth. Now tell me, how excited is he?” Bash said with a wide grin. Anne snorted, bumping her shoulder against his playfully. 

“He’s ecstatic, we both are.” She said with a smile. “We’ve been waiting for this for a very long time.” 

“I know you have, I’m happy for you both.” Bash said, bumping her shoulder back as he chuckled. “So am I going to have to keep this a secret from my mother or not?” 

Anne laughed then, shaking her head. “I don’t suppose I’ll be able to, will I? Maybe the secret can stay with her.” 

Naturally, it didn’t. 

Hazel greeted them warmly as they walked into the house, giving hugs to Anne and Josie and cooing sweetly at Thomas. 

“He’s beautiful, Mrs. Josie, he’ll be strong just like his father.” She said as she plucked Thomas from Josie’s arms, setting him on her hip as she bounced him gently. 

“Thank you, Mrs. Lacroix. We’re truly blessed to have three healthy sons.” Josie replied, reaching out to run a hand over Thomas’s dark hair as Anne grinned conspiratorially. 

“I only hope that Gilbert and I’s baby is as strong as Henry and Josie’s have been.” She said sagely, setting a hand on her stomach to further drive home her insinuation. It took a moment for Hazel to understand, but when the realization dawned on her, her eyes went wide as she gasped. 

“Now don’t you mess with this old woman, Anne Blythe!” She exclaimed, passing Thomas back to his mother before setting a hand on her chest in disbelief. 

“I promise I’m not messing with you, I’m expecting.” Anne laughed. 

Before Hazel could react, she was cut off by a loud ruckus from down the parlor, and before she could even turn around completely, Anne was being bombarded, only catching a glimpse of Rachel before she was wrapped in a hug. 

“Praise the Lord, you’re finally pregnant!” She exclaimed, rocking Anne back and forth as she stood still as a statue, still taken aback by the woman’s presence. 

“For Heaven’s sake, Rachel! Get ahold of yourself, she’s my daughter!” Marilla tutted, setting a hand on her shoulder to gently pry her off of Anne. 

“What are you two doing here?” She asked, finally gathering her wits. 

“We wanted to surprise you,” Marilla said, unable to hold back her smile, obviously having overheard the news. “But it seems like we were the ones who were in for a surprise, weren’t we?” 

Anne laughed, reaching out to hug Marilla tightly. “I take it you heard my little announcement?” 

“Of course we did, and Rachel just went and shouted it so loud I’m sure all of Avonlea knows by now.” She said as she pulled away from the embrace, shooting her friend a dirty look before turning back to Anne, stroking her cheek in a rare show of maternal affection. “That’s wonderful news, Anne. You and Gilbert are going to be wonderful parents.” 

“Thank you, Marilla. We’re both very excited and very ready for this.” Anne said, leaning into the touch. 

“Oh goodness,” Rachel said, still beside herself with excitement, but not so excited that she couldn’t hold little Thomas, bouncing him around as she began planning.

“Hazel, how much yarn do you have stocked up? I want to begin knitting for the baby right away and we’ll need to start now if we want to have them stocked up by the time the little one arrives… and Marilla, we’ll need to start making a quilt for the nursery soon as well. Josie dear, are you expecting again? Should we make you another one as well while we’re at it?” 

Josie snorted, watching Rachel’s spiral with amusement as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Not to my knowledge, but Henry’s twisting my arm for another, so I wouldn’t be surprised to be pregnant again before the year is out.” 

Rachel nodded, humming quietly. “As much as I loved my Thomas, I can confidently say that I don’t miss those days. I was pregnant when I got home from my honeymoon and didn’t go more than six months between babies for over a decade.” 

“I’m just glad I only had the one, raising Sebastian was more than enough mothering for me.” Hazel added, giving Bash a teasing look, while he only rolled his eyes at the comment. The older woman ignored it in favor of stepping forward to take Anne’s hands in hers, squeezing them gently as she gave Anne a soft look. “But that doesn’t mean I have some love to share with this little one.” 

Anne couldn’t help but smile, tears pricking her eyes as she squeezed Hazel’s hands gently. 

Just as quick as the moment of tenderness had come it was gone, and Hazel cleared her throat, straightening her shoulders. “Alright, that’s enough gabbing about, why don’t you and Mrs. Josie take your things upstairs and I’ll get tea set out for us.” 

“I’ll help you.” Marilla said with a nod, giving Anne a light squeeze on the arm, her smile radiating happiness. She couldn’t help but return the smile, pressing up on her toes to brush a kiss against Marilla’s cheek as she left the room, sharing an amused look with Josie as they climbed the stairs. 

“Think you’ll be able to keep it a secret from Ruby and Di?” She asked, raising an eyebrow at her friend. Anne threw her head back and laughed, shaking her head. 

“Not a chance.” 

* * *

The next day Anne and Josie made the trek across town to the McPherson home, Thomas tucked away in Dellie’s old pram. They two women were practically bursting with excitement as they approached the brick house, spotting Diana’s carriage waiting outside, which only multiplied their excitement. 

“Stay behind me,” Anne whispered to Josie as they approached the bottom of the porch, waiting for Josie to nod as she pulled Thomas out of the stroller, settling him on her hip. The two tittered as Anne knocked on the door, biting down on her cheek to control herself as anxiety twisted in her stomach. 

“ _I bet that’s Anne!”_ She heard from behind the door, and a moment later it swung open to reveal Moody, a lopsided grin on his face. Anne cheered internally, thankful that it was him so that she could surprise Ruby and Diana at the same time. 

“Good afternoon, Reverend.” She said with a sly smile, raising her eyebrow up at him. “Can you keep a secret?” 

His face twisted with confusion, and before he could question her she stepped to the side, revealing the woman hiding behind her. Moody gasped, his eyes lighting up. 

“Josie! What a surprise!” He said, keeping his voice down as he stepped forward to give her a brief hug. 

“It’s good to see you too, Moody.” She laughed. “But I’m afraid it’s not you that I’m here to see.” 

“Of course not, no one is ever here to see me since my little angel arrived. Come in, please.” He said with a small laugh, stepping back for them to enter the house. Moody led them to the parlor, where Josie stopped just outside of the doorway, keeping herself hidden as Anne followed Moody in. 

“Anne! Oh, it’s so good to see you!” Ruby said from where she was sitting on the couch, looking tired but happy. She smiled, stepping fully into the room to hug Ruby first, then Diana. 

“I have a surprise for you.” She said cryptically, feeling a twisted sense of satisfaction as the two women looked at each other, and she simply smiled before turning to the doorway. “Are you ready, Surprise?” 

A moment later Josie entered the room, and Anne was very thankful that Elaine was safely in her Moses basket when she did, because she surely would have been lost in the chaos that followed Josie’s entrance. Anne quickly plucked Thomas from her friend’s arms as Ruby and Diana screamed, jumping up from their seats to dogpile the woman. 

“What are you doing here? I thought you said you couldn’t make it!” Ruby gasped, leaning away from the embrace, keeping her arms around her. 

“Change of plans, I suppose I couldn’t stay away from that little girl of yours.” Josie giggled. 

“Good thing, too! I would’ve died if I didn’t get to meet your newest addition!” Diana said, turning her head to look at Thomas. “My goodness, another boy that looks just like Henry, who would have thought?” 

“Stop it,” Josie said. “If you saw Henry’s siblings you would know how strong those genes are, I’m not surprised one bit that they all look like him. Here’s to hoping the next one looks like me.” 

Diana and Ruby gasped, looking at her with excitement. “Are you expecting?” 

Josie shook her head quickly, her eyes darting to Anne. “No, I’m not. Trying, but nothing yet.” 

Anne smiled, sharing a knowing look with her friend as she passed Thomas off to her in preparation for the onslaught that she was about to be met with. “Well she might not be, but I am.” 

There was a beat where nothing happened, her words sinking in, but the moment was gone just as soon as it came. When the realization finally hit, high pitched screams of excitement filled the house as Anne was bombarded with hugs from Ruby and Diana. 

“This is so exciting! Oh Anne, I’m so happy for you!” Diana said, pressing a kiss to her cheek. She giggled, pulling away from the embrace, holding onto her friend’s arm as she beamed at her. 

“You’ll be the most wonderful mother, Anne.” Ruby added. 

“Only because I have you three around me. I have gained infinite knowledge from watching you raise your own children, and now I get to put that knowledge to good use.” Anne said, giving her friends adoring looks. 

It was true, everything she had learned about what it meant to be a mother she had learned from those around her. It wasn’t just her friends she had learned from either, she had watched Rachel, Marilla, and Hazel carefully over the years, and she was certain that she would tap into their wealth of experience as she got closer and closer to delivering. (She ignored the devilish whisper of _if you’re able to keep this child_ that she heard in her head, the ever present anxiety of losing another child rearing its ugly head. _Think positively_ she countered, trying her hardest to take Gilbert’s advice to heart. 

She was surrounded by her best friends- and their adorable babies- who she knew would fall in step beside her as she walked down the new path she was on, no matter where that path took her. She held onto that fundamental truth, clutching it tightly against her chest as she looked towards the future. 

* * *

“That went well, don’t you agree?” Josie said as they made their way back to the orchard later that afternoon. Anne tittered, nodding in agreement. It truly had been a lovely afternoon, the four women had caught up over tea, passing Elaine, Thomas, and Anne Cordelia around all the while. 

“I think it went very well.” She said with a grin. “What would you like to do for the rest of the day? I think I might need a small nap once we get home.” 

Josie huffed, a sour look passing over her face. “I’m going to pay my parent’s a visit. Henry made me promise that I would while I was in town so they could meet Thomas and I don’t have it in me to lie to him about it.” 

“Not worth the fight?” Anne asked with a laugh, earning a dirty look from Josie. 

“My parents and their involvement in my children's lives is the one thing we argue about consistently, you know that.” She said with a roll of her eyes. Anne giggled, bumping her friend gently with her elbow. 

“Oh I do know that good and well. You've told me as much many, many times over the years.” She said. “Well, nevertheless I’m sure they’ll appreciate seeing you and meeting Thomas.” 

Josie snorted, a dark look on her face at the thought of seeing her family. She sighed grumpily, looking down into the pram where Thomas was sleeping peacefully, his chubby little fist stuck in his mouth. Her heart softened just a little looking down at her youngest son, seeing so much of his father in him already. If it was up to her, she would never see her parents, but for some reason Henry was insistent on having them know their grandchildren at least a little bit. Every time she had gotten pregnant she had been adamant about not involving them, and every time she had relented. Maybe one day she would actually hold her ground. 

“I’m doing it because it makes Henry happy,” She said finally, looking up and setting her eyes on the path in front of them. “Not for them. Never for them.” 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and extra thanks to those who comment, I love getting y'all's feedback and thoughts on the story! I think it's about time for a look into the Tremblay's lives the past few years, don't you agree? See you guys next time!


	11. Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo hoo! Another update! I really like this chapter, so I hope you guys like it as well!
> 
> cw: mentions of past sexual assault

**May 1902**

While it wasn’t uncommon for members of the Tremblay family to burst into the small house that belonged to the oldest Tremblay son and his wife, if anyone approached the house that afternoon, they would have known before even getting close to turn around and make a hasty retreat. 

Everyone knew that Josie Tremblay had lungs of steel, and was not afraid to raise her voice when her short temper got the better of her, so if one heard her shouting, they wouldn’t be particularly alarmed. Henry, on the other hand, was as easy going as they come, and if he had been pushed to the point of shouting, it was wise to stay very, very far away. 

“Don’t you walk away from me right now, we need to talk about this!” Henry snapped as his wife stomped out of the room, following after her as she stormed down the hallway.

“No we don’t, I’m done with this conversation, Henry!” Josie shouted, stomping away from him and into the small nursery down the hall from their bedroom. It wasn’t complete yet, but it was already filled with baby things just waiting to be organized and put away before the arrival of the little one later in the summer. 

“Josie, are you aware that you’re being a real brat right now- woah, hey!” Henry shouted in frustration as he followed her in, ducking down to avoid the rattle that had been chucked at his head, letting it clatter loudly against the wall behind him. “See! That’s exactly what I’m talking about! I don’t know why you’re acting this way!” 

“You know exactly why!” Josie shouted back, reaching into the crib beside her to grab another projectile, this time a swaddling blanket. Not as hefty as she would have liked, but she didn’t put too much thought into it before she was throwing it across the room at her husband. He caught it easily, tossing it aside as he rolled his eyes at her. 

“Stop throwing things at me!” 

“Stop asking me about my parents! I’m not telling them and that’s  _ final! _ ” Josie retorted hotly, throwing a stuffed bunny his way next. 

“I know you don’t want to see your parents. I’m not saying that we even have to visit, but we can’t just show up in Avonlea for Diana’s wedding with you being nearly seven months pregnant. Do you really want them to hear about their grandchild from the rumor mill?” Henry tried to reason, picking up the toys that littered the ground, looking over his shoulder all the while to make sure he didn’t get whacked with something when he wasn’t paying attention. 

“I don’t give a damn about them and how they find out, or if they even find out at all! Why do they deserve to know?” She huffed, setting her hands on her hips. 

“Because they’re your family, Jo! Do you not care for them at all? Not even a little bit?” He asked, tossing the items back into the crib to be dealt with later. 

“No, I don’t. They certainly didn’t care for me.” She huffed. “And it makes me wonder how much you care for me when you take their side like this.” 

“That’s not one bit fair, Josie Tremblay.” Henry said sharply, pointing a finger at her chest. He was sick and tired of the argument they had been having for the past five months, just like he was also sick and tired of his wife’s sour moods. “You don’t get to question my affection and loyalty for you, not after everything I’ve done for you and this family. You know good and well whose side I’m on.” 

Josie snorted bitterly, a mean look in her eye that he knew meant that she was about to go for the jugular. Let it be known that Henry loved his wife dearly. For the most part she was sweet and loving with him, but it would be foolish to ignore the fact that she could be downright hateful if she got worked up enough, and it seemed like they had long since passed that threshold. 

“I didn’t  _ ask _ you to show up at my door and rescue me, Henry!” She spat. “You did that, that was  _ your  _ choice.” 

“And I didn’t hold a gun to your head to make you say yes, that was  _ your  _ choice!” He shot back. “All I asked of you is to write a letter saying you’re expecting, I think that’s the very least they deserve. Why are you so determined to pretend like they don’t exist?” 

“Because that’s what they did to me!” She shouted, her voice breaking as her outer shell broke, revealing the broken and hurting woman Henry knew was hidden inside. 

With those seven words, all of the fight, hurt, and anger fled the house as a sobering silence fell over the young couple. Josie bit down on her bottom lip, turning away from Henry as her resolve began to crumble, and she set both hands on the cradle to steady herself, her shoulders shaking with quiet sobs. Henry took a step forward, reaching out to rest his hand on top of hers. 

“Please look at me, little mouse.” He whispered, and she shook her head, turning her face away from him as she whimpered pitifully. “Josie…” 

“They gave me away, Henry.” She said quietly, cutting him off. “You see it as coming to take me away from a bad situation, but I see it as my parent’s handing me off to the most convenient option for them.” 

Though he could have said a lot in response to her statement, he stayed quiet, waiting for her to continue. He wasn’t sure how long it would take her, but he knew that there was more on her mind, and if he was patient enough she would tell him when she was ready. 

“What if it hadn’t been you?” She finally said, sniffing loudly. “What if some random man had shown up at my door asking to marry me? They didn’t put much thought into whether or not you would treat me well. They saw a man willing to get their disgraced daughter away from them, and they didn’t give a rat’s rear end if you were a good man or not. I’m sure if I had said no they would have made me do it anyways just so I was out of their hair.” 

“But it was me, and I am good, and I do treat you well.” He said with a tired sigh. 

“Lucky me, then.” She snorted bitterly, throwing her hands in the air before wiping at her cheeks. “I guess I got one good thing in the absolute disaster my life has been. Yippee.” 

“I think you had one absolutely disastrous thing and it’s keeping you from seeing all the good.” Henry countered, crossing his arms and ignoring the twinge of hurt he felt. Her strikes were landing exactly where she wanted them to, but he knew it was not the time to tell her she had upset him with her words. Hopefully, that would come later when they weren’t as frustrated. For now though, the volley of sharp words and hurt feelings would continue. 

“Don’t talk about things you don’t understand. You’ll never know how much my life changed because of what Billy did to me.” Josie bit, giving him a dirty look. 

“I want to understand, Josie!” Henry exclaimed in exasperation, throwing his hands in the air. “Don’t you think I would like to know the woman you were before that bastard hurt you? But I won’t ever be able to unless you  _ tell  _ me about it and about all of the hurt you feel because of it. You have all of these feelings inside of you, yet you don’t say a word to anyone about them!” 

“That’s because I don’t  _ like  _ talking about them.” She said harshly, crossing her arms over her chest. Henry sighed. He was tired of the fighting, and the sharp words from both sides, and the hurt came from the barbs they threw at each other. He was tired of feeling like he was taking more steps backwards than he was forwards, and he thought back to their time in Toronto and the almost daily miscommunications and misunderstandings. 

“Then don’t talk.” Henry said after a moment, his mind falling back to one of the more memorable instances of Josie shutting him out. She gave him a confused look, and he quickly left the nursery, going downstairs to his office to retrieve paper and pen before returning, finding Josie in the same spot he had left her. 

“Will you write me a letter, please?” He asked earnestly, holding out the items for her, his dark eyes soft and pleading. “I don’t care what you write, but we both know what your anger hides, and I want to see what’s underneath it. If you tell me how you really feel about your parents and can make a case as to why we shouldn’t tell them about the baby, then I’ll drop it and won’t bring it up again. But please, Jo, I need you to let me in.” 

She sighed quietly, looking warily at the paper for a moment before taking the things from his hands. 

“Give me a few minutes, alright?” She asked quietly, and Henry nodded, a ghost of a smile on his face at the positive reaction. 

“Of course,” He said, reaching out to stroke her cheek gently. “Take as long as you need, and I’ll be right here.” 

The corner of her mouth quirked up then, and she started out of the room, only to turn around at the last moment to wrap a hand around the back of his neck, pulling him down so she could kiss him on the cheek. 

“I love you, Papa Bear.” She said quietly. “Even when I want to throttle you.” 

With that she turned and left, leaving him chuckling to himself at her sweet, yet brutally honest, statement. 

He passed the time after her departure by organizing the nursery as best he could, putting away swaddling blankets and rearranging the seemingly innumerable stuffed animals in the crib, his heart swelling as he thought of the child that would be placed in it in a few short months. He was more than ready to be a father, and he would be lying if he said that he didn’t feel a sense of pride seeing Josie grow over the course of her pregnancy, knowing that she was carrying their son or daughter. If anything, it only made him love her infinitely more, something he hadn’t thought was possible. 

When he finished tidying up he settled down in the rocking chair by the window, taking in the whole room as he sat and waited for Josie.    
As excited as he was to have the baby arrive, he also couldn’t deny that he was terrified by it all at the same time. He didn’t know the first thing about raising children, all of his knowledge coming from what he had seen his parents do with him and his siblings. Generally, he thought his parents had done right by him. He had good character, a steady vocation, and a level head on his shoulders, but he also knew that his parents had not been perfect. He hated talking about his emotions just as much as Josie did, and he hid his thoughts and feelings behind the cool stoicism that his father had instilled in him from a young age. He brushed aside feelings more than he honored them, but if his marriage taught him anything, it was that emotions could not be ignored. Perhaps that was what he would do differently with his own children, that emotions could be heard and felt, and that it was not a weakness to do so. 

Henry sighed, wishing more than anything that his wife would understand that sentiment as well. All he wanted was to know what was going on in that head of hers, because he knew that while she was sitting somewhere in their house at that moment, her mind was far off in a place that she had not yet let him get to. 

* * *

**December 1900**

“When did this happen?  _ How  _ did this happen?” Her father shouted, pacing angrily back and forth in front of her bed. Josie said nothing, unable to stop her tears long enough to respond to his relentless questioning. He had been yelling since the moment they walked into the house, his shouts following her as she stormed up the stairs and into her bedroom, wanting nothing more than to be left alone. 

She wanted to die. Everyone in town knew what had happened to her, and the dirty, scandalized looks she had been given as her mother had tugged her away from the crowds lingered in her mind. They knew, and they would not soon forget. She was ruined. Absolutely, completely, irreparably ruined. 

Of course, that was not new information to her. She had known that since March when Billy had…

She forced the thought out of her mind. She knew good and well what he had done to her. She had only re-lived it every single night for the better part of a year, she didn’t need to think about it when she knew she would be back in that nightmare in a few short hours. 

It was different, knowing something about yourself to be true and having others know the same truth. It wasn’t enough that she knew that she was ruined, Billy had to go and make sure everyone else knew it just like she did. She didn’t think that he could be so cruel… yet she had been wrong about him before, she shouldn’t have been surprised that he once again proved her wrong. 

“Josephine, answer me!” Her father bellowed. 

“March!” She screamed through her tears. “Billy Andrews raped me in March, is that what you want to know?!” 

“When you snuck out to see him? Isn’t that what he said? How could you have been so foolish?” Her father countered. 

“I think that’s enough shouting. Can’t we talk about this calmly, like adults?” Her mother said, her voice level but strained. Her father snorted, crossing his arms over his chest as he stopped his pacing. 

“Do you not realize what she’s done to this family? No one will forget about this, not for a long while, at least.” He snapped. “I’ll have to go speak to Harmon, see if we can arrange a marriage quickly, that’s our only way of fixing this.” 

“No!” Josie shouted, a wave of nausea rolling over her as she sat up like she had been fired out of a canon. “I won’t marry him! He’s not a nice man, father!” 

“You’ll do as I say, Josie. It’s the least you can do, seeing as you’re the one who put us into this situation.” Her father said sharply, her mother reaching out to grab her arm in a vain attempt to soothe her. She yanked her arm from her grasp, scrambling back on the bed away from her parents. 

“And if he refuses?” She asked, hating how small her voice was. She sounded exactly how she felt: broken. 

“Then I suppose we’ll just have to find something to do with you.” Her father said, giving her one last withering look before turning on his heel and stomping out of the room. 

“Josie, dear-” Her mother started with a heavy sigh. She simply held her hand up to stop her, turning her face away so that she didn’t have to look at the shame in her mother’s eyes. 

“Just leave me be.” She said, not turning her head to look, biting down on her bottom lip until she the coppery tang of blood filled her mouth. 

She didn’t move until she felt the mattress shift underneath her, followed by the sound of her mother’s footsteps retreating and her door shutting with a soft  _ click _ . Then, and only then, did she crawl under the thick blankets on her bed, wishing that when she closed her eyes to sleep, that she wouldn’t have to open them again. 

* * *

The days that followed were a different kind of hell than the one she had been enduring since March. 

As much as she wanted to lay in bed and pray that she would wake up from the nightmare her life had become, her mother came to her room every morning to wake her up, not meeting her gaze as she did her hair into an intricate style. Even if she was ruined in the eyes of God and everyone, appearances still mattered, she supposed. 

She was expected to attend meals, to take tea with her mother, to sit around the fire at night with her parents even though her mother only made small talk and her father didn’t say anything. The minister came calling two days after the panto, and Josie had wanted to scream and shout and kick him in the shins as he quoted verses about purity and loving one’s husband. Did they not understand that she had not wanted what had happened to her? That she wished she still had the precious virginity that they kept rattling on about? 

And why was that the only thing about her that mattered? Did she not have any value now that they knew it was gone? 

The day after the minister came, her father paid a visit to the Andrews’ house. He came home fuming, throwing his hat down on the table angrily. 

“Harmon refused an arrangement. He said he wants a more suitable, virtuous woman for his son.” He laughed bitterly. “I don’t blame him. I wish I had a more virtuous daughter as well.” 

Josie bit at the worn spot on the inside of her cheek, raw from how often she had abused it trying to hold her tongue. The silver lining, she supposed, was that she would not have to marry Billy. Lucky her. 

“Don’t be cruel, David.” Her mother said, voice low and eyes down. He ignored her, setting his sights on Josie as he crossed his arms across his chest. 

“You are not to leave this house until I’ve decided what we are going to do with you, do you understand?” He said, his eyes hard and unyielding. She thought back as far as she could, wondering if he had ever looked at her with any sort of love and affection. Had it only ever been anger or indifference? It was hard to tell. 

“Yes sir.” She said, gritting her teeth to bite back a smart comment.  _ It’s not like I have anywhere to go, anyways.  _

__ Three days later, her mother came to her room first thing in the morning as she always did, helping her put her hair up for the day even though it made her skin crawl having anyone touch her, even the woman who had kissed scraped knees and tied her hair into rag curls every night. 

“My great Aunt Henrietta lives in Boston, I haven’t seen her since I was a child, but she’s surely getting up there in years at this point. We’ve written to her to see if she’ll take you in. How would you like that? Doesn’t America sound lovely?” Her mother said, a light smile on her face as she stabbed a pin into her hair, raking it against her scalp painfully on accident. 

Josie ignored her question, biting her cheek as she thought. “And if she won’t take me?” 

Her mother sighed heavily, the cracks in her perfectly poised exterior revealing pure exhaustion, but the cracks were filled just as soon as they had been exposed. 

“Well, people always need governesses, now don’t they?” She said, forcing a smile as she set the last pin into place and set her hands on Josie’s thin shoulders, trying to look positive and pretend that the situation wasn’t what it was. Her mother had always been a good actress, at least Josie knew that she got the ability honestly. 

The next day at lunch her mother casually commented that Anne and Gilbert had gotten married. Josie bit down on her cheek at the news, wincing at the stab of pain from the worn spot that she had taken to biting down on. She was not surprised of course, in fact she would have been more surprised if they hadn’t gotten married. She knew that her life was not the only one that had been ruined the night of the panto. 

God, she was a horrible friend. Why did she ever tell Billy what Anne had told her? 

“I’ve always known she was nothing but trouble.” Her father huffed. 

“She’s a good friend.” Josie said, gathering up her courage to stand up for Anne. She could take her father’s cruel words and barbs, but she wouldn’t sit aside and let him badmouth Anne when she wasn’t around to defend herself. “She has stood by me when no one else would.” 

“You aren’t to speak to her again. She’s the one who got you into this trouble, filling your head with all of that unmentionable information. I wonder how long she and that Blythe boy have been flouncing about, and how long it would have continued had their indiscretions not been revealed.” Her mother said sternly, giving her an even look that meant she wasn’t to argue about it. Josie snorted, what else did she have to lose? 

“Why does it matter? I can’t sully myself anymore, can I?” She challenged, raising an eyebrow up as she met her mother’s stare. 

“Excuse me?” Her mother said, looking shocked that she had spoken back. 

“How could talking to Anne ruin my reputation anymore than it already has been? If anything, you should want me to stay away from her for her sake rather than mine. I’m just about as low as one could go, while I’m sure she still has some distance to fall.” She said cooly, trying to keep her gaze from turning into a glare. 

“That’s enough, Josephine.” Her father said with an air of finality. “You’re excused. I think it’s best you spend the rest of your afternoon alone, thinking about what it means to honor one’s father and mother.” 

Josie said nothing as she got up and left the dining room, fuming silently until she had reached her room. Then, and only then, did she slam the door so hard the windows rattled. 

Two days later she ignored her mother’s command to not speak to Anne and visited her anyways. It was nice getting out of the house for the first time in a week, and she enjoyed the bite of the cold against her face as she made her way to the orchard and the warm buzz of alcohol that flowed through her veins as she made her way home, holding her chin high whenever someone passed her on the path, unashamedly staring at her. 

Her mother scolded her when she got home, and her father yelled at her until his face was purple, but she couldn’t find it in herself to care. She had gotten the closure she needed from Anne, the forgiveness that she did not feel that she deserved for dragging her and Gilbert into the mess she had created. Her rebellion cost her the last dregs of freedom she had, and from that moment forward she was either to be in her room or the presence of her parents, effectively grounded for having the audacity to disrespect their wishes despite the fact that they had treated her like a plague that had infected their family. 

Not that it mattered anyways, Anne was the only person she would have wanted to see, and Gilbert had whisked her off to Toronto a few days after the new year, leaving Josie behind in her cage. She swallowed the bitterness she felt that her friend had the ability to get away from the crushing weight of shame that the both of them felt. Instead she would be sent off to Boston or Saskatchewan or some other godforsaken province to live a life of solitude and exile. 

Why did Anne get the better road than her when all of her sins had been ones that she had chosen for herself? Why did she have to be the one alone and forsaken at the end of the day? 

Confined to her house, her hell only became more and more unbearable. She spent her days sitting in her bedroom, trying to find something to occupy her time rather than lying in bed staring blankly at the wall. She was of the mindset that idleness would only make her feel worse, but by the fifth day of her isolation she couldn’t find it in herself to care anymore. 

It was in those moments that she let the more vulnerable parts of her heart be exposed. Only in the safety of her bed did she let her mind wander to the stack of letters hidden under her mattress, and the man who had written them. 

No matter where she was sent to the same thing was true, she would never talk to Henry Tremblay ever again. 

At first, she wasn’t sure what to think of the tall, handsome man that she had met that previous summer. He had surprised her with his bold compliments and unashamed displays of interest at the fair, and the icing on the cake had been his request to keep in contact with each other after he left Avonlea. She had been hesitant to accept of course, because why wouldn’t she be? He was a stranger, and an intimidating one at that, and frankly his interest frightened her. What could he possibly see in someone like her? She had done her best to be aloof and cold towards him, but his persistence was endearing and frankly kept her interested enough to continue writing responses to his letters. 

She hated how her stomach flipped when she got post from him, and the way his neat, unflashy script looped across the page to spell her name in a way that made her heart skip a beat for seemingly no reason at all. She had almost burst when she received the parcel from him in late November, and she had hidden it under her bed for the better part of a week, anxiously waiting until Diana had gone home for the weekend to even dare opening it. His gift made her heart soar in ways that it never had with Billy, and it terrified her. Billy always seemed to have a motive behind his gifts. Whether it was to bolster his own confidence or make her feel a sense of obligation towards him she could never be sure, but she knew that with Henry, his gifts held no hidden agenda. He had thought of her, and that was enough to purchase the small gifts for her without any prompting or need to do it. She hated the way that she swooned running the lilac velvet through her fingers, letting it slip like water through her grasp.

What she hated even more was that she had fallen hard for Henry Tremblay without even realizing it, and she would never speak to him ever again. 

He was the one thing in her life that was simple and easy, a friend that had no idea what was going on in her personal life, one that she could very easily block out should she feel like he was getting too close to the messier parts of herself. Yet it seemed like she, as always, had been robbed of that choice as well. There was no way she could easily explain her situation, and she couldn’t stomach the thought of telling him what Billy had done to her both in March and at the panto, so no matter where she went, she would have to leave Henry behind as a relic of her old life. 

Though she would never admit it, she fell asleep that night wrapped up in her thick quilts, throat sore from her violent sobbing, fresh tear tracks marring her cheeks, lilac velvet twisted in her hands, and a stack of saved letters spread out around her from where she had poured over them until the familiar script was seared into her memory. 

* * *

“Josie?” Her housekeeper said politely, knocking lightly on her door and opening it before she gave permission for her to do so. “You have someone calling for you.” 

Josie looked up from her little journal, the outline of an evening gown only barely sketched out. Someone was there for her? What were they there to do? Kick her while she was down?

“I don’t want to see anyone right now. Tell them to come back later.” She said dismissively, looking back down to her sketch as her maid lingered in the doorway. 

“He seemed like he had important business with you, I didn’t recognize him.” She said nervously, twisting her hands together. Josie huffed, snapping her journal shut impatiently. She had woken up that morning still in her clothes from the day before, feeling pathetic for crying over a man she had only seen a handful of times months before. To say that she had been in a foul mood as a result would have been an understatement. 

“What did you say his name was?” Josie asked, raising an eyebrow at the maid. 

“Henry Tremblay, I think he said. Do you know him?” 

Josie was out of the room and running down the stairs before she had even finished her sentence, in complete disbelief until she swung her front door open and revealed the very man she had sworn she would never see again. 

  
  
  
  



	12. Twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ready for another chapter of "why does Josie hate her parents?" Ready or not, here it comes! 
> 
> cw: mentions of past sexual assault

**January 1901**

A ball of anxiety had made its home deep in her gut since the moment Henry had stepped into her house, and it had remained there through the course of the evening, only growing heavier and heavier as the night wore on. After she had accepted his proposal her mother was made aware of the situation, and being the polite, picturesque homemaker she was, she invited him to stay for supper. It was almost unbearable, sitting across the table from him, picking helplessly at the meal that she did not want to eat. Every so often she would look up from her plate and catch his eye, breaking their gaze instantly as her face burned with embarrassment. She still couldn’t believe that he was sitting there, in her house, in  _ Avonlea,  _ and she had agreed to  _ marry _ him. 

What had she been thinking, saying yes? Had she lost her mind? 

She had a lot of questions for him, ones that she didn’t want to ask him during the tense meal. Plus, she was certain her father wouldn’t be happy with her if she were to ask him what had possessed him to marry her over dessert. In fact, she knew better than to even question the situation, knowing that Henry’s arrival had made her father look more relieved than he had been in weeks. He would surely scream at her until he was blue in the face if she pried too deep into her fiance’s motives. 

“Thank you for your hospitality this evening, Mrs. Pye. You have a lovely home.” Henry said as they stood up from the table, giving her a polite nod. She gave him an equally polite smile in response. 

“Of course, I look forward to getting to know you better over the next few days.” She said, giving Josie a look that sent her stomach down to her toes. “Josie, dear, why don’t you and Henry go sit in the parlor for a spell before he leaves for the night?” 

Her mouth went dry at the suggestion, and even though she had been yearning for her questions to be answered, she lost her nerve the moment her mother opened her mouth. 

“I do believe I’m feeling faint.” She lied, keeping her eyes downward. “I think I might retire for the evening, but perhaps the two of us could take tea together tomorrow afternoon?” 

“Josie, don’t you think it rude to send him off so quickly?” Her mother said, giving her a pointed look. She sighed, biting down on her cheek to think of a quick response before Henry stepped in, clearing his throat quietly. 

“Actually, tea tomorrow sounds lovely.” He said. “It was a long journey from Toronto, and I must admit that I’m quite exhausted as well.” 

Her mother hummed, looking back and forth between the young couple in front of her for a moment before she lifted her chin slightly. 

“Very well then, I’ll have tea set to be ready at three.” She said, giving Henry a small nod. “Goodnight, Henry. Josie, show your fiance to the door.” 

Her tone made it clear that it was not a suggestion, and Josie nodded, turning without a word to guide Henry through the house, not bothering to look over her shoulder to see if he was following. Once she reached the door she grabbed his coat and hat from the hook, rounding on him quickly and shoving the items towards him. 

“You don’t suppose you could tell me how to get to Gilbert’s house from here, could you?” He asked lightly as he slipped on his outerwear. She looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. 

“It’s about a mile away and it’s already dark. Even if you could see, you’d freeze to death if you try to walk.” She saids stubbornly “Let me get someone to take you over there in the carriage.” 

Before he could protest she had left him, going down the hallway before returning a moment later, brushing past him to climb the stairs without a word. He didn’t dare follow her, not wanting to disrespect her parents or make them think the worst about the two of them. Instead he stayed rooted in his spot by the front door until Josie returned, holding out a thick, warm scarf. 

“Thank you, Miss Pye.” He said, never one to turn down a gracious offering. 

“I’ll be sharing your last name with you in less than two days, I think you can call me Josie now.” She said flatly. 

“Josie Tremblay,” Henry said with a chuckle as he looped the scarf around his neck. “Now isn’t that a lovely sound?” 

Josie’s stomach twisted painfully at the mention of her soon to be married name, and she felt herself go stiff as a board, staring up at Henry as if she had seen a ghost. 

“Goodnight.” She said, voice strained, and before Henry could apologize for making her uncomfortable she was thundering up the stairs away from him, leaving him standing there stupidly until the housekeeper told him that the carriage was ready for him. 

* * *

It wasn’t long after Henry left that her parents accosted her in her room, a united front as Josie sat in her bed, her sketchbook in front of her. 

“And just how long have you had a suitor without us knowing?” Her father asked, his temper already leaking through the cracks before the conversation had even truly begun. Josie blinked at him, setting aside her book and pencil. 

“Henry was never my suitor.” She said, her voice even. “Just a friend.” 

“A friend who showed up here asking for your hand in marriage.” Her father said with a humorless laugh. “Tell me, just how _well_ do you know this man?” 

Josie’s jaw dropped at the insinuation, her stomach twisting painfully at what her father was playing at. She didn’t let her discomfort show as she scoffed indignantly. “Excuse me?” 

“It just seems strange, that he would show up on my doorstep wanting you, knowing good and well that another man has already had you.” Her father said plainly, making her blood boil. “Perhaps Billy Andrews isn’t the only man you’ve snuck off with?” 

“If you’re suggesting that I have been intimate with him, let me remind you that I met him  _ once  _ at the county fair, surrounded by people who could testify to that being true, and have not seen him in person since then. We’ve exchanged letters, that is all. And if you want to know why he decided to come propose, your guess is as good as mine. No one was more shocked to see him at our front door than I was.” She said hotly. “And let me remind you as well, that what Billy Andrews did to me was not consensual. I’m hardly a harlot, and it’s insulting that my own father sees me as one.” 

“Did you raise her to speak to those above her like that?” Her father said darkly, turning to her mother, who stood by as she watched the confrontation unfold. 

Her mother shook her head, as passive as always. 

Josie wanted to scream. 

Her father exhaled slowly, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath before he opened his eyes. “You are not to send him away like that again, do you understand me?” 

“We were both tired.” She said combatively, crossing her arms over her chest. “He’ll be here again for tea tomorrow, it isn’t like I took back my acceptance of his proposal. But I’m sure he hasn’t gotten far, there’s still time for me to do that should I change my mind.” 

Her father’s face went red at her statement, and for a moment Josie thought she was in for another verbal lashing, but with a gentle hand on the shoulder, her mother seemed to pull him back from the edge. 

“I think that’s enough for tonight, David.” She said, voice even and tranquil despite the unrestrained animosity that permeated the room. She looked up to Josie, her blue eyes hard. “It seems that Josie has forgotten everything we have done for her to give her the life she has, all the yelling in the world cannot fix ingratitude.” 

Josie rolled her eyes. She would trade all of her material possessions for a set of parents that showed her an ounce of dignity and understanding. Instead, all she had were two people that she had grown to hate in a very short period of time.

“I suppose you two are extremely lucky then, I’ll be someone else’s problem by the end of the week. You’ll never have to see me again, since you’re so eager to get rid of me.” She said, picking up her sketchbook once more, opening it up to the last page, beginning to add to her sketch as she disregarded her parent’s presence. “You two can see yourselves out.” 

“Poor bastard doesn’t know what he’s getting into.” She heard her father mutter as he and her mother left the room, closing the door firmly behind them. 

Josie blew her candles out shortly after they left, the weight of the day finally catching up to her, and for what seemed like the hundredth night in a row, she fell asleep with tears still running down her cheeks and the sound of her parent’s angry yelling floating through the floorboards and into her bedroom. 

* * *

“Do you have any questions for me about your wedding night?” Her mother asked as she did her hair the morning she was set to be married, her tone light as if they hadn’t been either arguing or ignoring each other for days. 

It had barely been two days since Henry had proposed to her, and everything had been a flurry of activity since. Funnily enough, she had hardly seen her groom during that time, too busy making preparations with her mother to really speak to him while he made arrangements with her father concerning her dowry. Their tea the day before had been awkward at best, her mind was still reeling from his statement the night before. She hadn’t expected to be thrown off as much as she had been by him saying her first name with his last, but it had tilted her whole world off kilter, and she had run away from him like a complete coward. She thought that she would regain her confidence before tea, but the moment she entered the parlor and sat next to him on the couch, she once again lost all of her nerve. It didn’t help that her mother sat in the corner working on her needle point the entire time, no doubt ensuring that Josie behaved and didn’t say something that would have sent Henry running for the hills. So they were forced to stick to safe topics of conversation: his studies, family, what life would be like for them in Toronto and all of her many questions remained unasked and unanswered. 

Her father had stolen him away after a decent amount of shallow small talk had passed, and that was the last time she had seen him, meaning that the next time they would be face to face would be when they were standing together at the altar. 

The thought made her nauseous. 

She didn’t want to think of her wedding night, not that she would truly get one, they would barely have time to change out of their wedding clothes before they left for the train station to set off for Toronto. The thought of intercourse made her sick to her stomach, especially with a man she barely knew. In fact, it was one of the many things that had kept her awake at night since he had proposed, wondering how long it would take for him to drop the ruse and become insistent on consummating their marriage. No, she didn’t want to think about intercourse at all, let alone talk to her mother about it. 

“No.” She said flatly. Her mother’s brow furrowed, but she kept her eyes trained on the intricate updo she was styling. Josie wondered why she was putting so much time into it, it wasn’t like there would be anyone attending her wedding to see it. The only people that would be in attendance other than the bride and groom would be her parents, the minister, and Sebastian Lacriox to serve as Henry’s witness. Her father had made a fuss about a colored man being at the wedding, and it had made Josie feel vindicated when Henry had stood his ground and insisted that the Lacroix family was as good as family to him and if Bash could not be there, then there would not be a wedding. As much as he liked to pretend he was in a place of control over the whole ordeal, it brought Josie joy seeing her father reminded of the fact that he was in no place to be making demands. He was just as powerless as she was. 

“Are you excited? Nervous?” Her mother prodded, and Josie rolled her eyes. Why was her mother acting as if her wedding was something to be excited about, rather than what it truly was: a business exchange. 

“No.” 

A tense silence settled over the pair. 

“Does he know of your...experience?” 

“Yes, mother.” Josie bit sharply, done with her attempt at being reasonable. Her nerves were already fried even though they day had barely begun. In fact, she had been on the end of her rope ever since Henry had shown up at her house and flipped her life upside down even though it had already been flipped a million times over. She still wasn’t completely sure why he had done it, and she wished that she could read his mind to solve that particular mystery. “Henry is well aware that I was raped.” 

Her mother flinched at the wording, but Josie couldn’t find it in herself to care if she had offended her. She was tired of her parents skirting around what had happened to her. 

“He seems like a nice man,” Her mother said awkwardly after a moment of tense silence. “I’m sure he will be gentle.” 

“Let’s hope, Billy surely wasn’t. Perhaps if I’m lucky I’ll be able to keep my bloomers afterwards. The blood ruined them last time.” Josie said casually, nauseated as the image of blood soaked underthings flashed through her mind’s eye but vindicated when she saw her mother go pale in the mirror. It wasn’t good or right, but after the events of the last two weeks, part of her wanted to hurt the woman. The morbid twist of satisfaction at her mother’s horror was what spurned her onward. “And maybe he won’t hold me down like Billy did, I didn’t like that either. It took two weeks for the bruises to go away. Do you think I’ll be in a bed when Henry takes me? It was terribly uncomfortable being pressed against a brick wall-” 

“That’s enough, Josie.” Her mother said sharply, closing her eyes as her hands went still in her hair, as if closing her eyes could shut out the vivid details of her assault.

“I’m sorry, does it make you uncomfortable when I talk about that night?” She said bitterly, leaning forward so that the hands slipped from her hair. “Or does it make it harder for you to pretend that I somehow brought this upon myself when you hear the details? That I didn’t spread my legs for him, but rather that they were quite literally forced open? Or is it still my fault because I thought a midnight rendezvous sounded romantic, even though it ended up being the worst night of my life? Tell me mother, and do be earnest and speak your mind perhaps for the first time in your entire life, do you think I deserve what happened to me?” 

“It doesn’t matter what I think.” Her mother said sternly, keeping her eyes down. “You chose to sneak out and visit him unchaperoned. You put yourself in a situation, that was a choice. Now you have a reputation, and girls with reputations do not have choices.” 

Josie inhaled sharply, gritting her teeth. Her roundabout answer was all she needed to hear. “I suppose they don’t get compassion either, do they?” 

“Josie-” Her mother sighed, shoulders slumping with exhaustion. 

“Get out.” She said sharply, rounding quickly on her mother, her blood boiling in her veins. “If you are unwilling to stand by my side in the worst moments of my life, then I won’t allow you to stand by me in the joyous ones. I’ll finish getting ready by myself.” 

Her mother opened her mouth to fight back, and Josie stood up to stand toe to toe with her mother. 

“I said  _ get out!”  _ She screamed, her resentment and anger boiling over. Her mother staggered backwards, face pale at the outburst. The hurt was clear on her face, but Josie couldn’t find it in herself to care. Perhaps she would finally understand what she had felt like since the Christmas panto, completely torn apart by those she thought would always love her unconditionally. 

“I didn’t raise you to speak to me like that.” Her mother said, her voice low. “I just hope you remember your manners with your new husband. He’s doing us a great service, you should show him the respect you haven’t shown to me.” 

Josie snorted, sitting back down at her vanity, knowing that she was being cruel but too hurt to stop her behavior. “Perhaps he’ll just beat the disrespect out of me. It seems like that’s the only thing you and father haven’t tried.” 

Her mother sighed, shaking her head as she turned to leave, hesitating for a moment when she reached the door. She rested her hand on the doorjamb, looking over her shoulder at her for a moment before she spoke. 

“Sometimes I think you’re trying to break my heart, Josephine.” She said quietly, her voice barely a whisper as she slipped out of the room, leaving the young bride alone in a stifling silence. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and thanks to everyone who takes a minute to leave a comment, I love reading what you guys have to say! I know these last few chapters have been heavy, but we'll get some fluff soon, I promise! See y'all next time! :)


	13. Thirteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yee haw, another update! This is our last chapter focusing at the Tremblay's for at least a little bit, but they'll pop in every now and again!

**May 1902**

Henry wasn’t sure how much time had passed before he heard footsteps coming down the hallway towards the nursery. He looked up from where he had been aimlessly turning a wooden block over in his hands as Josie walked in, stopping in the doorway with a stack of papers in her hand. He smiled at her, setting the block aside before patting his lap twice in a silent invitation. 

“You must be kidding.” She said, raising an eyebrow at him. He shook his head, a lopsided grin on his face as he leaned back in the chair. 

“Of course not, I just want my beautiful wife to sit in my lap for a spell.” He said. 

“Your wife is far too pregnant to be sitting in your lap.” Josie snorted, taking another step into the room as she ran a hand over the curve of her stomach to prove her point. Henry laughed, shaking his head at her. 

“Untrue, now humor me.” He said, patting his lap once more. Josie rolled her eyes but obliged his request, crossing the room to sit across his lap, leaning into his chest so he could wrap his arms around her. It was an awkward fit, she was not able to fully curl up in his lap like she had been able to before she had gotten pregnant, but the couple made it work as they rocked back and forth slowly in the chair for a moment. 

“I wrote a letter.” Josie said, tucking her face into his shoulder. He hummed, nuzzling her cheek gently as he let his hand rest over her swell of her stomach. 

“Would you like me to read it? Or will you read it aloud?” He asked quietly, pressing a kiss to her cheek. 

“The letter helped me organize my thoughts a great deal, but I think I’ll just talk, if that’s alright.” She said, pulling away from his shoulder to look him in the eye. He smiled up at her, nodding once to prompt her to begin. 

“First, I want to say that I’m sorry. The way I spoke to you was inexcusable, and I shouldn’t have let my temper get the better of me the way it did.” She said, looking ashamed for her behavior. 

“You’re already forgiven little mouse, we can talk about hurt feelings later. Let’s just talk about your parents for now, alright?” He said, grabbing her hand to bring it to his mouth for a quick kiss. She offered him a small smile, leaning back into his chest before continuing with a heavy sigh. 

“My parents were never extremely loving, to put it simply.” She started, absentmindedly twisting a loose thread on Henry’s waistcoat as she talked. “My father never seemed to particularly care about me or my sister, and mostly let my mother handle us. I think he was always disappointed that he didn’t have a son, to be honest with you.” 

“What a terrible mindset, I would be the happiest man alive if all we ever had was girls, especially if they looked like you.” Henry said with a grin, and Josie rolled her eyes at the cheesy compliment. 

“I was a nightmare as a child, I fear that any daughters we may have will be downright terrors.” She said with a snort, thinking back to how horrible she had been as a little girl. She had been a spoiled brat (and she would admit to herself and herself alone that some of those tendencies still lingered) and blamed her superiority complex on the way her parents had raised her. She wondered if there was anything she could do differently to prevent her children from behaving as she had, or if they were predisposed to such things because she had acted in such a way. 

“We’ll worry about that when we get there, Mother Mouse. For now, why don’t you keep going?” Henry said with a chuckle, rubbing soothing circles into her stomach. 

“Anyways, my mother was kind to me growing up and I do know that she loved me, but she is a very vain woman. Everything is about appearances, it doesn’t matter if there is any substance underneath it. If everything appears to be alright, then they are. It was never about what I actually felt, and only about what I was able to make people believe I was feeling. That same sentiment stuck when word got out about what Billy did to me.” She said with a bitter laugh, wiping away a tear that was blazing a trail down her cheek. 

“My parents never once asked me if I was alright. It seemed like every time they spoke to me afterwards was to blame me, that it was somehow my fault for choosing to sneak out, and that what he did to me was a consequence of my actions.” She said. “Do you know how much that hurt, Henry? For your own parents to look at you like a blight on the family name? For them to make you feel like the most helpless moment of your entire life was somehow your fault? They didn’t even attempt to understand what I was going through.” 

Henry clutched her tighter as she continued on, his jaw clenching in anger at his in-law’s cruel behavior. He wasn’t a fan of Mr and Mrs Pye by any stretch of the imagination, he thought they were both incredibly shallow and condescending when he had met them when he proposed, but his opinion on them was getting lower and lower the more Josie spoke. 

“That’s horse shit, Jo.” He said hotly, the crude word falling from his lips before he could even stop it. Josie sighed, sniffling loudly as she fought the losing battle to keep herself composed. 

“I know it is.” She said weakly, wiping her face again, gratefully accepting Henry’s handkerchief when he offered it to her. “But it’s taken me a very long time to believe that, even though you and everyone I’ve told has assured me that it wasn’t my fault.”

She paused then, loudly blowing her nose and taking a deep breath to gather her thoughts and courage to continue. 

“And then you showed up, even though I was convinced that I would never speak to you ever again because the thought of you knowing what had happened to me made me want to bury myself alive,” She said with a small laugh, shaking her head at the memory. “And my parents talked about you like you were some sort of saint for coming and marrying me, but not after asking me if I had already sullied myself further by knowing you intimately prior to your proposal.” 

“What? Are you serious?” Henry asked, taken aback. Josie nodded once. 

“As the grave,” She said. “Despite the fact that I presented them with the logic that we had only seen each other in person once prior to you proposing, I don’t think they believed me. I think that was what hurt the most, is that they thought I was a complete tramp even though I told them a million times that I very much did not want what happened to me.” 

Henry’s face was dark and stormy, his mood souring more and more with every word. “I’m liking your parents less and less the longer you talk.” 

Josie snorted. “I’m glad, that’s the point of me talking about my feelings, isn’t it?” 

“Not quite, little mouse, but if that’s your personal goal, then you’re achieving it.” Henry laughed, rocking them back and forth in the chair. 

“I suppose that’s the meat of it then, that my parents treated me like a stain on the carpet, a rotten branch on the family tree. They tossed me out with little care, and made it very clear that they felt sorry that I was now your problem. So tell me Henry, why would I want to share you or my child, essentially the happy life that I have built without any help from them, after they treated me like I was less than dirt? They were glad to see me go, so why would I purposefully walk back into their lives? They don’t deserve to see the joy I’ve found, not after they didn’t even try to understand my sorrow.” She said, all of the hurt and pain bubbling to the surface, her voice cracking as she buried her face into his shoulder. “Please, don’t make me tell them.” 

Henry sighed, rubbing her back gently. He would never understand what she had gone through, both in her assault and in the fallout after it was revealed to all of Avonlea, but he knew better than he ever had before just how much her parents had hurt her in their reaction. How could he make her write to them after seeing how deep their betrayal went? 

“Alright,” He said with a sigh. “We won’t tell them, but Josie? I think you should try telling them how much they hurt you, write them a letter if you can’t face them in person. Perhaps you can get the closure you need.” 

Josie sniffled after a moment of crying, wiping her eyes with the handkerchief as she pulled away from his chest, looking up at him with watery eyes and a trembling lip. 

“I don’t know if I’m ready for that just yet, big bear.” She said weakly, and Henry just nodded, pressing a kiss to her hairline. 

“You don’t have to be.” He said, holding her impossibly closer as he rocked them gently in the peacefulness of their little nursery. “All I ask is that you think about it. It’s your decision, sweetheart. Always.” 

* * *

Neither of them were surprised when Mrs. Pye showed up to the orchard within three days of them arriving in Avonlea. Thankfully, Josie was away at Green Gables with Anne when she made her appearance, standing stiffly at the front door when Henry approached it after Hazel had fetched him. 

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Pye.” Henry greeted, giving her a polite nod. 

“Henry, it’s good to see you again. You look well.” She said primly, her niceties falling flat as she discreetly peered around his shoulder to get a look into the house. 

“Thank you.” He said, setting his hands in his pockets casually as he widened his stance, fitting himself into the doorway as much as possible to keep her snooping at bay. “How can I help you?” 

“I didn’t know you and Josie would be in town,” She said. “I thought I would stop by to visit while I was out and about this afternoon..” 

“While the gesture is appreciated, but unfortunately, Josie isn’t here at present, and I’m about to head out into the fields to help Gilbert, Bash, and Elijah with some work. I’ll let Jo know that you stopped by when she returns.” He said with a curt nod, taking a step backwards. Mrs. Pye bit her lip at his less than satisfactory answer, taking a quick step forward to rest her hand on the doorframe before he could shut the door. 

“When is she due?” She asked, her mask of poise slipping to reveal the desperation underneath. Henry sighed, taking his hand off of the doorknob. Though he knew how much the woman in front of him had hurt his wife, he still couldn’t help but feel pity for her. 

“July.” He answered simply. 

“And how is she doing? Is she happy? Healthy? I haven’t spoken to her since you two were married, she won’t respond to my letters.” She asked, her deep blue eyes filled with a mixture of guilt and sadness. Henry simply nodded, thinking about the stack of letters tucked away in Josie’s vanity at their home back in Ottawa. 

“We’re both doing well, we’re excited for the baby to arrive.” He said, being intentionally vague. It would be up to Josie to reveal any details, if she wanted to see her mother at all. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I really should get to work.” 

Mrs. Pye sighed, her shoulders and gaze drooping downwards in discouragement. “Will I at least be granted the courtesy of knowing if I have a grandson or granddaughter?” 

“That’s up to Josie to decide.” He answered with a shrug. “Now good day to you.” 

He didn’t wait for her to respond before shutting the door, not caring one bit if it was rude or not. It was his second time interacting with his mother-in-law, and it had somehow been just as unpleasant as the first time. 

He sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face as he went to change into work clothes, more than ready for physical labor to work out the stress that talking to the woman had brought on him in a matter of minutes. If nothing else, it would prepare him to tell Josie that her mother had paid them a visit and she had been lucky enough to not be home. 

He waited until after supper to broach the subject, not wanting to spoil her good mood so quickly after returning home from what seemed to be a relaxing afternoon at Green Gables. He was still damp from his own bath as he helped Josie down into the tub, settling down into a chair as she began bathing. 

“Your mother stopped by this afternoon.” Henry said simply, leaning back into his chair as he set about rolling up his sleeves to have something to occupy his hands. Josie hummed, slipping underneath the water to scrub at her scalp for a moment before resurfacing. 

“Word travels fast around here, I didn’t expect anything less.” She said flatly, wringing the water from her hair into the tub. Henry nodded, his eyes following the drops of water that rolled down the curve of her shoulders and in-between the valley of her breasts. 

“Henry, are you listening to me?” Josie asked, forcing his attention- and his gaze- back up to her face. 

“Uh, yes?” He said sheepishly, his cheeks going warm from being caught in his admiring. His wife snorted, making it clear that she didn’t believe him one bit. 

“You’re such a brute sometimes,” She muttered with a roll of her eyes, sinking below the water to keep the distractions at a minimum before she cleared her throat to continue. “What I was saying, is that it was no surprise that she found out as quickly as she did. What did she have to say?”

Henry shrugged. “Nothing that wasn’t to be expected. She asked when the baby would arrive, if you were happy and healthy, if she would get a birth announcement. I was pretty insistent on moving the conversation along so it was a brief encounter.” 

“Do you think she’ll keep coming around until she manages to speak to me?” Josie asked with a heavy sigh, soaping up a washcloth to scrub her body. He shrugged even though he knew that was not the answer his wife wanted, moving out of his chair to kneel by the tub, pulling the cloth from her hands. 

“I wish I knew the answer to that, little mouse, but I hardly know the woman.” He said, gently nudging her shoulder until she leaned forward so he could scrub her back in large, smooth circles. “She’s your mother, you’re likely to answer your own question better than I ever could.” 

Josie huffed, glancing over her shoulder to look at him, lips pursed in thought. “I would rather do the confronting, I think. That way I can at least prepare beforehand and pretend that I have some semblance of control over the situation.” 

“That sounds like a phenomenal plan to me.” Henry said, cupping his hands in the warm water to rinse the suds away before nudging her to lie back as he continued his self appointed duty, letting her relax as her eyes slid shut. 

“Don’t you think for a second I don’t see right through you, Henry. If I wasn’t so exhausted I’d smack you.” Josie snorted as the rag ran over the contours of her chest, his hands lingering far too long than what would be considered proper. 

“Guilty as charged.” He laughed, pressing a kiss to her temple before moving on, abandoning the rag altogether when he reached her stomach, settling his hand over the large curve, his heart fluttering in his chest when a little foot (or hand, elbow, or rump, he never could tell the difference) pressed against his hand. 

“I can’t promise I’ll be nice when I talk to my mother.” Josie said after a moment of silence. “I was incredibly cruel to her the last time we spoke, though I can’t say I regret it.” 

“You know my stance, it’s better to get feelings out than let them stay inside. Nothing changes if we keep our emotions hidden away. Of course I think it’s better to try and be gentle, but I know that every situation is unique.” He said, looking up to where Josie was watching him with a soft expression on her face. 

“I love you, Henry. I don’t think I say that enough.” She said softly. He smiled, leaning over the tub to kiss her softly. 

“And I love you, little mouse. Marrying you was the most impulsive decision I ever made, but it was also the best.” 

Josie smiled, reaching upwards to ruffle his hair lightly. “Alright, Papa Bear, don’t get too sappy on me. Now, help me out of this tub.” 

* * *

Her mother looked as if she had seen a ghost when she opened the door the next day, revealing the daughter that she had not seen in a year and a half. 

“I see that your husband told you I stopped by.” She said simply, gaining her composure just as quickly as she had let it slip in shock. “I was worried he wouldn’t tell you.” 

“I wouldn’t blame him if he did.” Josie said with a shrug. “Would you like to take a walk, mother?” 

Her mother hesitated, her eyes going down to her daughter’s rounded midsection. “Why don’t you come in and rest?” 

“I’m pregnant, not dying.” Josie said with a snort. “Now as I said, I’m going for a walk, you’re welcome to join me.” 

Without another word she turned and started off down the path, arms crossed lightly in indifference even though anxiety was making her insides twist relentlessly. She wasn’t even out of the yard before her mother caught up to her, huffing and puffing as she pulled a shawl around her shoulders. 

“You didn’t send word to tell us you would be in Avonlea, Greta had to tell us that she saw you walking through town the other day.” Her mother said stiffly, keeping her eyes set on the path in front of them. Josie shrugged, not surprised that it had been her old housekeeper that had ratted her out. 

“Must have slipped my mind. Pregnancy brain, I think they call it?” She said, though it was obvious to both women that she was playing stupid. 

“And how do you explain the countless letters that I’ve sent that have all remained unanswered?” Her mother inquired, irritation curling up around the calm and collected mask she had worn her entire life. 

“Oh that’s simple, I didn’t want to read them.” She said lightly. Her mother sighed, giving her a withering look. 

“Josie, I haven’t seen you in a year and a half, could you at least attempt to not be combative?” She pleaded. 

“And whose fault is that? You probably would have gone years without seeing me if I had gone to be a governess. Wasn’t that the whole point of sending me away, that you wouldn’t have to see me? Out of sight, out of mind, right?” She said, gritting her teeth to keep from shouting. No one was out of the path from what she could see, but it was Avonlea, there were ears everywhere. 

“Well the situation has changed, you’re more than welcome to come home or answer a letter every now and again.” Her mother said stiffly. 

“Ah yes, the situation did change, didn’t it? I lost all of my value because of one man’s actions, and gained it back because of another’s. I’m glad to know you don’t see me as my own autonomous person, mother.” She said bitterly. 

“Why did you ask to speak with me if you were only going to be cruel?” Her mother snapped, stopping in her tracks, setting her hands on her hips. Josie turned, laughing bitterly at the other woman. 

“Perhaps I hoped that you had changed since we last spoke, but I see now that I was wrong.” She said. “You haven't the first idea as to why I would harbor such animosity towards you, do you?” 

“I did my best, Josie. I wasn’t perfect by any means, but I tried.” Her mother retorted, throwing her hands in the air. 

“You hurt me!” Josie shouted, having been pushed past the point of giving a damn if anyone could hear. “When I was hurting, you looked at me the same way everyone else was, like I was trash. I _needed_ you, and you gave me away to a stranger!” 

“A stranger that obviously cares for you a great deal.” Her mother said, as if that made everything better. Josie simply snorted, how could she have missed the point even when she had so clearly spelled it out? 

“Yes, he does, thank God. At least there’s someone who does.” She said, blood pounding in her ears. “Now, it was obviously a lapse of judgement for me to seek you out, so I’m going to go back to where people love and appreciate me no matter what. Good day.” 

“Josie-” Her mother sighed, reaching out to gently grab her daughter’s arm as she began to walk away. She ripped it from her grasp with a sharp inhale, rounding back on her mother to stick her finger in the other woman’s chest. 

“Stay the hell away from me and my family until you’re ready to acknowledge the fact that your lack of compassion hurt me. I don’t need you in my life, mother, and I haven’t for a long while. So whether or not you know your grandchildren is completely up to you.” She seethed, giving her a murderous look before turning and stomping down the path, leaving her mother behind and feeling more helpless than she ever had before. 

* * *

_June 29, 1902_

_Mr and Mrs. Pye,_

_With Josie’s knowledge and consent, I am sending this to let you know that our son, Samuel Gilbert Tremblay, was born yesterday at 4:48 in the afternoon. Both he and Josie are healthy and well._

_-Henry Tremblay_

* * *

_August 16, 1903_

_Mr and Mrs. Pye,_

_William James Tremblay was born this morning just past 10, both he and Josie are doing well. We received your package a few weeks ago, thank you for the new clothing and toys. We both appreciate it._

_-Henry_

* * *

_October 5, 1904_

_Mr and Mrs Pye,_

_Two days ago on the 3rd of October, Thomas Edward Tremblay made his appearance into the world at 11:57 in the morning, just in time for lunch. Josie and baby are happy and healthy. Sam and William are elated to have a little brother, though they were more excited about the parcel full of toys we received from you two. Thank you again for your generous gift._

_Sincerely,_

_Henry_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and for all of the sweet comments I've received over the last several chapters, I'm always a little hesitant to do solely Josie and Henry chapters because I know everyone's here for the Shirbert content, but it makes me super happy knowing that you guys love these characters and their story just as much as Anne and Gilbert's story! :) But for now, it's back to the Blythes ;)


	14. Fourteen

**August 1905**

Though she had been exhausted when she returned back from her visit with Ruby and Diana, a short nap left Anne feeling refreshed and ready to continue with her day. With a pep in her step she set off for Green Gables, taking the same well worn path she had taken for years. 

She had spent nearly a decade of her life in Avonlea, and it seemed that as the years had flown by, memories had attached themselves to every inch of the tiny village she had called home. Whether it was the large rock she and Diana would stop at to whisper secrets and gossip to each other on the way to school every morning, or the tree (well...trees) that Gilbert had pushed her against to kiss her silly in one of their many stolen moments, she could hardly taken a step in Avonlea without another memory coming to mind. The thoughts made her feel strangely nostalgic, and slightly homesick. She had not truly called Avonlea home in years, really she had spent more time away than she had spent there, but it still felt like home in a way that Charlottetown, Kingsport, or Toronto never could. Even Stepney Creek still did not feel like home to her just yet, even though part of her heart already loved the town that she and Gilbert were building their life and family in. Would there be a day that she would have to choose between the two? 

_ Perhaps,  _ Anne thought to herself as she zigzagged through the fence to her beloved farm.  _ Home could be more than one place. Maybe one could have many homes all over the world, wherever adventure takes them.  _

With that thought in mind she marched forward towards the garden plot where Matthew was plucking at the earth, a pile of weeds built up beside him. She smiled, keeping her steps light so she didn’t give herself away. When she was close enough to touch him she squatted down behind him, resting her hands on his shoulders. 

“Boo.” She said quietly, tittering when he startled at her sudden appearance. “Did I scare you, Matthew?” 

“You did something, that’s for sure.” Matthew chuckled, relaxing slightly once he realized who it was that spooked him. He sat back on his heels, wiping his dirty hands on his pants before opening his arms to give Anne a hug. “I was wondering when you were going to make an appearance.” 

“I just couldn’t stay away,” Anne said, a beaming smile on her face as she pulled away from the hug, taking Matthew’s work worn hands into hers. “And I also have some news to share with you…” 

Everyone in Avonlea knew that Matthew Cuthbert was a man of few words. He was horribly shy, quiet almost to a fault, and it took a lot to get him excited. That being said, when Anne revealed to him that he would be a grandfather come next spring, it was more than enough to have the usually meek man dancing a jig in the middle of the garden, whooping loudly as he spun Anne around in circles. 

“I see you’ve told him.” Marilla said from the porch, her arms crossed over her chest as she watched on in amusement. Anne laughed, the world spinning around her as she was set down on the ground, stumbling slightly. 

“Told him what?” Jerry asked as he jogged up, having heard the commotion from the barn. 

“I’m going to be a grandfather!” Matthew whooped, his bright smile beaming. Jerry’s nose wrinkled, a very unexpected reaction that made Anne giggle. 

“Gross.” He said. Anne rolled her eyes. 

“Aren’t you getting married in a few months? You’re in for a rude awakening if you think babies are disgusting.” She said, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“I have to agree with her,” Marilla agreed. “Children were all Elsy seemed to talk about when she was here last week for tea.” 

“It’s gross because it’s  _ Anne _ ’s baby. It won’t be when it’s  _ my  _ baby.” Jerry replied, sticking his tongue out at Anne, earning another eye roll from the redhead. She supposed she could kind of understand his disgust at the thought of her impending motherhood, because she felt a little nauseous herself at the mention of him being a father sooner rather than later. When had they gotten so old that marriage and children were commonplace?

“Alright, stop that nonsense and come wash up for tea.” Marilla said, keeping a stern look even though Anne could see the mirth hidden in her eyes at their squabbling. “You two are talking about having children of your own, yet you still act like them yourselves!” 

“Yes ma’am.” The two grumbled, marching into the house, waiting until they had gotten past Marilla before Anne whacked Jerry in the back of the head, earning herself a small shove in retaliation. 

“Hey! You can’t push a pregnant woman!” She fussed, shooting him a dirty look. 

“Anne! Jerry!” Marilla snapped, giving the two a dirty look that made them tuck tail and scurry inside the house to get away from the harsh gaze. 

Matthew still had a grin on his face after they all washed up and sat down for tea, a twinkle in his eye. 

“So,” He said. “When can we be expecting this little one to arrive?” 

Rachel exhaled loudly, setting a hand over her chest in relief. “Oh thank God you told him, I was worried I would have to keep it a secret.” 

Anne snorted, shaking her head at Rachel. “Now how fair would it be if I told everyone but didn’t tell Matthew?” 

Rachel simply conceded with a shrug, taking a sip of her tea. Anne turned back to Matthew to answer his question, a smile on her face. 

“I’ve still got a long way to go, I’m afraid to say. Probably late spring, if I had to make a guess.” She said. “It’s still very early, I wasn’t planning on telling anyone this visit, but I told Josie and she got excited so Bash found out on accident, and it wasn’t fair to Hazel for Bash to know so I told her but I didn’t realize Rachel and Marilla had come to surprise me…” 

“Well it certainly sounds like your plans went awry.” Matthew chuckled. 

“What are you talking about? Anne’s plans never go badly.” Jerry said sarcastically, earning himself a chick to the shin underneath the table. He winced, shooting Anne a dirty look across the table. “Oh right, you  _ planned  _ on getting married about four years too early, I forgot.” He grumbled under his breath, and Marilla was quick to pointedly clear her throat before Anne could formulate a scathing response. 

“There’s no reason to talk about that anymore, Jerry. It’s in the past where it belongs, and everything has turned out just fine, hasn’t it?” She said, catching Anne’s eye to give her a supportive smile. Anne smiled back, wishing she could get up and hug the woman who had raised her. 

She was right, of course. Though the scandal that surrounded her marriage had initially been an absolute nightmare, enough time had passed that the town had moved on to other people’s dirty laundry, thankfully leaving Anne and Gilbert to go about their business whenever they were in Avonlea with little trouble. Still, even though everything had turned out alright, the memories still sent a pang of sadness and hurt through her when she thought of the times when things were very much not okay. 

**January 1901**

It was the day before Anne was due to leave for Kingsport, Henry was still gone doing God knows what, classes started in two days, and to put it simply: Gilbert was stressed. He had thought that everything was okay, Anne’s mood had improved significantly since they had left Avonlea and they had spent nearly two blissful weeks on an impromptu “honeymoon”, exploring Toronto and making good use of every flat surface available in his apartment. 

All that being said, he had thought that Anne was happy, which was why when she started crying unexpectedly as they laid in bed that night, burying her face into his chest to muffle her loud sobs, it took him a solid ten seconds to realize what was going on before he reacted. 

“Hey, what’s all this about?” He cooed gently when he came to his senses, taken aback from her violent shift in emotion. 

“M-Matthew and M-Marilla h-hate me!” She sobbed after a moment, dissolving back into incomprehensible sobs after forcing the words out. Gilbert frowned, gently grasping her chin to tilt her face upwards at him. 

“That’s ridiculous, Anne.” He said. “They love you, you’re their daughter.” 

“B-but I talked to Marilla s-so wretchedly the night b-before we left!” She argued. “And I must have brought s-so much s-shame to them!” 

He sighed, wrapping his arms around her to hold her close to him, rubbing circles into the skin of her back in an attempt to console her. 

“Emotions were running high when you had your tiff with Marilla, that’s certainly true, and apologies need to be said on both sides…” 

“So you agree with me!” Anne exclaimed, lifting her head from his chest, her face blotchy and wet with tears. “Marilla hates me!” 

“What? No! That isn’t what I said at all!” Gilbert said, confused as to how she could have reached that conclusion from what he had said. In fact, it seemed like she hadn’t even heard him, and after a beat her sobs returned with renewed vigor.

“I can never go back to Green Gables again! I didn’t even get to tell Snow Queen goodbye, or the chickens, o-or Belle! Oh Gilbert, I’ll have no money, I won’t be able to pay rent and I’ll be evicted from Patty’s Place! A-and-” 

“What on earth are you talking about?” Gilbert exclaimed, exasperated and confused as to where the mental spiral was coming from. “I think you’re forgetting that I’m here, sweetheart. I’m not going to let any of that happen. And Marilla doesn’t hate you, so stop saying that.” 

Anne’s lower lip stuck outwards in a pout, and she set her head back down on Gilbert’s chest with a quiet sigh. 

“I regret everything I said to her.” She said, her voice small and quiet. “After everything her and Matthew have done for me, this is how I repay them? By sullying their name and yelling in Marilla’s face?” 

“Like I said, sweetheart, emotions were running high and you were under a world of stress. You said things you wish you hadn’t, and now you’ll have to apologize for them. You’re human, Anne. Sometimes we say and do things that hurt other people, all we can do is try and mend things once they’re broken.” 

“But what if they don’t forgive me?” Anne said, her voice barely a whisper as revealed her deepest fear. Gilbert sighed, tilting his chin down to press a kiss to the top of her head. 

“They will.” He said confidently. “All you need to worry about is the apology, say that you’re sorry and mean it in your heart, and I have no doubt in my mind that they will accept it.” 

Anne simply whimpered, the crushing weight of guilt heavy on her shoulders, and she hoped desperately that Gilbert’s words were true. 

**March 1901**

Anne felt like she was about to throw up. 

Actually, she had thrown up already. 

Twice. 

The first time had been before she had even left Patty’s Place, when her anxiety had proved to be too much and she had lost the meager breakfast that she had managed to force down her throat. The second had been once she arrived in Charlottetown and she realized that she was only a short train ride away from seeing her guardians, and she had barely made it into an alleyway to dry heave, her stomach twisting painfully with nerves. She had barely made it back to the station in time to board the train that would take her home to Avonlea, and once she was on board she felt as if she was marching to her own execution. 

She still had no idea what she was going to say to Matthew and Marilla. The easier of the two conversations she knew would be with Matthew, she had not argued with him the way she had with Marilla, but she felt like the scandal of her quick marriage would still be hanging heavy over their heads and she wasn’t sure how she could even speak to them. How does one go about apologizing for ruining the family name- more specifically the family name they had so generously given to her? 

The truth of the matter was that part of her hated herself for what she had put them through. Though she did not regret the intimate moments she and Gilbert had shared, the fact that they had been outed for their impropriety in such a public manner brought unending shame and embarrassment upon her. She couldn’t even begin to think what the past three months had been like for Matthew, Marilla, and even Rachel to some extent. She had been living under the same roof as Anne, therefore she knew Rachel would be judged for not knowing what they were getting up to when no one was around. Anne, though at the center of the scandal, had mercifully been able to get away from the whispers and stares, her family was not so lucky. 

It was the same family that had welcomed her in and loved her despite her baggage. The family who gave her a name and home, two things she had never had before. For the first time in her life she had belonged to somewhere and someone, and the Cuthberts had never looked back on the decision with regret even though everyone around them said that taking in a little orphan girl was going to bring them nothing but trouble. They said she would be too worldly, too indecent for the good, civilized company of Avonlea. 

Anne proved their assumptions to be correct, and that thought alone made her feel like she could throw up for a third time that day. 

As much as she treasured the memories she had with Gilbert, she would have traded them all away to have things go back to how they had been before the Christmas panto. She wished she could go back and not ask Marilla about intimacy and love and reproduction in the first place. 

Perhaps ignorance truly was bliss. 

She didn’t have time to ponder that thought before the train slowed to stop at the Bright River station, and Anne slowly stood, clutching her carpet bag tightly in her hands as she disembarked. When her eyes landed on Jerry she nearly wept with relief that her reunion with Matthew was further postponed, and she quickly made her way over to him, wrapping him in a tight hug. 

Jerry, mercifully, acted the same as he always had. “I’m surprised that you aren’t pregnant.” He said bluntly, taking in her flat midsection, and Anne snorted, elbowing him hard in the stomach for the remark. 

“I’m glad to see that you’re still a prick.” She said, keeping her voice low as they climbed into the carriage. “Some things never change.” 

At the scathing comment Jerry through his head back and laughed, passing Anne a blanket to drape over her lap before urging the horse forward. She didn’t wait long before broaching the topic that had been weighing on her mind. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the cool March air before speaking. 

“How have things been, since I left in January?” She asked tentatively, capturing her lower lip between her teeth to worry at it while she waited for Jerry’s response. He sighed, shrugging his shoulders slightly. 

“The minister came and visited after you left,” He said, which came as a surprise to Anne. He had visited them a few days after the panto, talking on and on about submitting to ones husband and the sins of the flesh (Anne didn’t remember much of what he said, the whole thing was still a blur in her mind, but she and Josie had spent a great deal of time ranting about their respective visits with the minister in their letters back and forth to each other) yet the thing that made her blood boil the most is that Gilbert did not receive a visit from the minister. It had only been Anne and Josie that earned that distinct honor, and it was absolutely infuriating. 

“Matthew and Marilla wouldn’t let me join the meeting, so I don’t know what they talked about, but I don’t think they went to church for a week or two after his visit.” Jerry continued. “But you know how things are at Green Gables, the Cuthberts have always kept to themselves. They send me out for a lot of errands that Rachel or Marilla would do, but that might just be because they’re old.” 

Anne hummed, pursing her lips in thought. “I don’t think it’s because they’re old.” 

Jerry simply shrugged. “I don’t know what you want me to say, Anne. They haven’t talked about what happened at Christmas, I think they’re just trying to move past it.” 

Anne sighed, her shoulders drooping. They both went quiet then, the steady canter of the horse in front of them filling the heavy silence. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed before she spoke again, mustering up her courage to ask the question that had been sitting in her mind. Her voice was too small and quiet when she finally spoke, barely a whisper as she said, “And what have they said about me?” 

Jerry stayed quiet, his eyes forward on the path in front of them. “Truthfully? Not much. Like I said, I think they’re trying to let it stay in the past. If they have said anything, it has been when I am not around.” 

Anne bit the inside of her cheek as tears welled up in her eyes. Part of her wanted to jump off of the cart and run back to the train station, back to Kingsport where she could at least maintain her fantasy world where Matthew and Marilla might still care for her. That seemed like an infinitely better option, rather than going to Green Gables and having her assumptions that they hated her proved to be right. At least she knew that if they didn’t want her to stay with them during her visit, she could always go to the orchard and know the Lacroixs would take her in. 

She managed to hide her tears the rest of the ride home, keeping her gaze locked on her hands as Jerry hummed an unfamiliar song to fill the silence. When they finally pulled into Green Gables Anne swallowed nervously, taking in the first place she had called home, the pit in her stomach opening wider at the thought of not being welcomed back to the little farm that she loved with her whole heart. 

Taking her carpet bag in hand she clumsily climbed down from the cart, her legs shaking from her overwhelming anxiety, feeling as if they could give out at any moment as she took slow, even steps towards the door. Once she was in front of the kitchen door she took her time knocking the snow and mud from her boots, knowing Marilla would be cross if she didn’t, and with one last deep breath to steady her nerves she opened the door and stepped inside. 

She stopped in her tracks, all of the breath leaving her lungs as she entered the house, immediately coming face to face with Marilla, who was mixing something in a bowl at the workbench. Her gaze lifted from her baking when she heard the door open, and for a moment that felt like an eternity the two women looked at each other, faces blank with no clues that might let the other know how they were feeling. 

Looking at Marilla, Gilbert’s words from the night before she left Toronto rung clearly through her head.  _ All you need to worry about is the apology, say that you’re sorry and mean it in your heart, and I have no doubt in my mind that they will accept it.  _

She felt her lower lip tremble, and when it did, all bets were off for her. 

“Marilla,” She said, her voice cracking as a tiny sob left her lips. With that she was darting across the room and throwing herself in her mother’s arms, shoulders shuddering with heavy sobs as three months worth of stress and grief rushed out of her. She shouldn’t have been as surprised as she was when Marilla wrapped her arms around her, holding her in a tight embrace. 

“Marilla, I’m so sorry.” She said in between her hiccuped sobs, her words muffled by the soft fabric of Marilla’s apron. She pulled away, looking up at her with watery eyes to see Marilla with tears of her own running down her cheeks. “I talked to you so terribly the last time I saw you, a-and I brought a world of trouble to you and Matthew because of my selfish actions and I-I wish I could take a-all of it back.” 

Marilla shushed her then, running her hand over her back in long, smooth strokes. “There, there, dear. It’s alright.” 

“No it isn’t!” Anne cried. “You and Matthew have given me everything I could possibly desire and I paid you back with disrespect! I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t want to see my face ever again!” 

Marilla sighed, giving Anne the same no-nonsense, unamused look she had been given thousands of times before. “Don’t be ridiculous, Anne. Matthew and I still love you and a few mistakes, big or small, isn’t going to change that. In fact, we’ve both been sick with worry the past few months because we haven’t heard from you.” 

“I thought you wouldn’t want to.” Anne whispered, her eyes falling to the floor in shame. She heard Marilla sigh again, and then her chin was being lifted by Marilla’s soft, worn hands to look her in the eye. 

“Your last name might be Blythe now, but your name will always be in the Cuthbert family Bible. You  _ are _ a Cuthbert, and we’ll always forgive each other when one has done wrong. Nothing short of the coming of Christ will be able to tear us apart, do you understand?” 

Anne sniffled, wiping away a tear with the back of her hand before she nodded. “So you forgive me?” 

Marilla chuckled, nodding once before Anne was wrapping her back into a bone crushing embrace, the relief of forgiveness sending her into tears again. 

“But Anne?” Marilla said, waiting until she had lifted her head to look up at her before continuing. “I don’t care if you’re a married woman now, if I  _ ever  _ hear you say such filthy words as you did in our argument again, I’ll have a bar of soap in your mouth for so long your children will taste it. Do you understand me?” 

Anne laughed then, nodding once to show her acknowledgement of the threat before burying her face back into her mother’s chest, her heart feeling whole for the first time since December when Marilla hugged her back, and then they stood like that for a good long while. 

  
  



	15. Fifteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's (hopefully) a pretty fluffy chapter for you all! Heavy conversations mixed with lots of baby snuggles, so hopefully it balances out lol. Enjoy!

**October 1906**

“Did you have a good talk with Josie this afternoon?” Gilbert asked as they got into bed that night, settling down on his side to face her, propping his head up in his hand. Anne nodded, humming her affirmation absentmindedly as she rocked Hazel in her arms. The little girl had been fighting valiantly against unconsciousness, but with a featherlight brush of her mother’s finger down the bridge of her nose she was out cold, her head lolling to the side to press against Anne’s chest. 

“Did you know Josie thought she was pregnant in between Thomas and Chip?” She said quietly, gently placing Hazel between them on the mattress before settling down on her side, mirroring Gilbert’s position. His eyebrows knitted together and he shook his head. 

“I don’t know how I would have been privy to that information, so no.” He said. “Though I was surprised by the gap, especially with how quickly she had the three older boys. Makes sense that she might have lost a pregnancy sometime in there, now that I think about it.” 

Anne nodded, pursing her lips in thought as she looked down at Hazel, lightly running her fingertips over the dark curls on top of her head. It had been six months since the little girl had entered the world and subsequently stolen their hearts, and Anne still struggled to wrap her head around the fact that she was theirs. Of course she loved Josie, Diana, and Ruby’s children, but in her eyes none of them could hold a candle to her little one. She was perfect in every possible way, and nothing could change that. 

“I told her about the baby we lost.” She said after a moment, her heart aching slightly at the mention of their first child. 

Gilbert hummed, cutting his gaze away from Hazel to look up at her. “How did that go?” 

Anne shrugged. “She said that she was sorry that we went through such a thing, and that we went through it alone. I think she was upset that I didn’t confide in her.” 

“I’m sure she understands.” Gilbert said, reaching out to stroke her cheek gently, earning himself a small smile when she looked up at him. She let her eyes close as she leaned into the familiar and comforting touch. 

“I know she does. I tried to tell her that it was my decision to keep it a secret and that it had nothing to do with her and whether or not I trusted her.” She said with a sigh, opening her eyes to look at Gilbert. “I know I was the one who didn’t want to tell anyone, but looking back on it now I wish we had.”

Gilbert chuckled, lightly stroking her cheekbone with his thumb. “I wish we had too, but I knew in the moment that was what you wanted so I didn’t push it.” 

Anne sighed, looking down at Hazel again, running her fingertip up and down the bridge of her nose. “It was nice, telling someone that isn’t family. It also made me feel better hearing her say that she had experienced the same thing, though hers were so early she wasn’t even sure if she was pregnant or not.” 

“It’s extremely common, Anne. You were never alone in what you were going through.” He said, and she simply nodded. 

“I know, it was self-inflicted isolation.” She confessed. “I felt so guilty though, because I started off not wanting the baby at all. I felt like I almost deserved the isolation afterwards.” 

“You know that’s not true, right?” Gilbert said, his eyebrows knitting together Anne nodded with a heavy sigh. Of course she knew that she didn’t deserve what had happened to them, and the more logical side of her brain constantly reminded her that there was no rhyme or reason for such things. That still didn’t stop the irrational, anxiety ridden half of her from whispering that she had brought the loss of their baby upon them from her negative feelings. 

“It’s not.” She said. 

“But do you believe that?” Gilbert asked, his heart hurting because he knew the answer before she even answered. Anne bit down hard on her bottom lip, closing her eyes to keep the tears that had accumulated there from spilling. “Anne…” 

“Did you know that Phil suggested that I get rid of it?” She said suddenly, sitting up and setting her head in her hands. 

“What?” Gilbert said, looking up at his wife in bewilderment. 

“When I first told her that I was pregnant, she told me that there were options available to me if I really did not want to carry the child to term.” She said, twisting her hands in the blanket. “And the most damning part is that for a fraction of a second, I considered it.” 

Gilbert’s jaw dropped as he processed the jarring statement, his head spinning. 

“I would never have done it,” She said quickly, keeping her head down and her gaze pointedly away from him, too ashamed to look him in the eye after confessing such a thing as she had. “But I was scared and upset and thought that my life as I knew it was over and I just wanted things to go as planned for once. I’m not proud of it, and I wish I never would have thought it in the first place. It seemed like karma heard me and gave me my wish even though I had very much changed my mind at that point. You probably think I’m awful now, don’t you? I wouldn’t blame you if you did.”

Gilbert shook his head, still trying to wrap it around what Anne had told him. While he was surprised to hear Anne’s confession, part of him couldn’t blame her for letting the idle thought blow through her mind. 

“I don’t think you’re awful,” He said, slowly sitting up and reaching out to take her hands in his. “I think that your life was turning upside down for the millionth time in a very short timeframe, and you were desperate for options to feel like you had some semblance of a choice.” 

Anne sighed. He was right, of course. He had an uncanny ability to read her like a book even when she was being tight lipped about her feelings and insecurities. She supposed that it shouldn’t have come to a surprise to her, it seemed like a natural ability one would acquire after nearly six years of marriage. Still, even though he was right, that didn’t mean that she was ready to talk about the guilt and shame that weighed heavily on her. 

“Can we talk about happy things, Gil?” She asked, wanting nothing more than for the heavy weight that had settled in her chest to go away. Gilbert sighed, brushing a strand of hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. He looked as if he wanted to continue picking her brain, but instead he stayed silent, nodding his head once. 

“Of course, sweetheart. Come here.” He said, laying back down before gently lifting Hazel to settle her on his chest, pressing a kiss to the top of her head as Anne laid down beside him and scooted into his side. He cuddled his two girls close, wrapping his arm around his wife as she draped a hand over Hazels’ back, letting her sadness melt away in the embrace of her little family. 

“I feel better already.” She said softly, kissing Gilbert’s shoulder lightly. He laughed in response, careful not to jostle the baby too much as he did so. 

“Alright so tell me this,” He started with a chuckle, raising an eyebrow as he looked down at Anne. “In a fight to hold Hazel, who would win between Matthew, Mama Hazel, or Sam? Also, you have to explain why.” 

Anne couldn’t help but laugh at the absolutely ridiculous question, covering her hand with her mouth to keep quiet. Gilbert smiled, his heart full and happy seeing his wife smiling and giggling. It had been ten years since he had met her and almost immediately fallen in love with her, yet his heart still skipped a beat inside of his chest whenever she looked so happy and carefree. 

It had killed him, being so far away from her for so long, especially with how they seemed to be bombarded with misfortune over and over again for the first three years of their marriage, yet all of the heartache and longing to be together had been completely worth it for the joy they had found once they were reunited for good. He had a home and a practice that was all his, the girl of his dreams, and a beautiful, healthy daughter. What more could a man want? 

“As much as I love Matthew, I think that Mama Hazel and Sam would be the final two.” Anne answered, still giggling at his question. He chuckled, leaning down to press a kiss to the crown of his head. 

“Oh, yeah? Tell me why.” 

With that Anne launched into a wild theory about the theoretical showdown between their loved ones, letting Gilbert cut in every now and again to add a rebuttal to her logic, and the two laughed until their sides were sore- and until they woke the baby up. 

* * *

While the Blythe’s handled their fussy baby, down the hall, a similar conversation was occurring. 

“The boys are asleep,” Henry said as he slipped into his bedroom, closing the door quietly behind him. “For now, at least.” 

Josie giggled, kissing Chip on the head before passing him off to Henry to do the same before settling him down into his bassinet. 

“I’m sure at least one of them will be making an appearance at some point.” She said as she pulled off her dressing gown and quickly slid into bed to escape the chill in the air. 

“Of course they will, it’s like they’re oil and water with their beds.” Henry said with a chuckle as he slid into bed next to her, gently tugging his wife across to bed to lie on top of him, nuzzling her neck sweetly as she sighed contently into his warm embrace. 

“They’ll grow out of it eventually.” He said, rubbing her back gently, letting his hand wander down to her backside for a quick feel before moving up to her back once more. “And they better, if they want more little brothers or sisters anytime soon.” 

Josie laughed weakly, twisting her fingers into the fabric of his nightshirt. “Chip is barely a month old, don’t you think it’s a little early to think about another?” 

Henry shrugged. “I think it’s never too early. Why? Do you not want another?” 

She bit her lip, shaking her head. “No, I do. But Henry… I’m tired. My _body_ is tired. I’ve been either pregnant, breastfeeding, or both for the past five years, and while I definitely want more children, I think I want to take a little break and just enjoy our family for what it is right now. Is that alright?” 

“Of course it’s alright, little mouse.” He said, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. “Did you think I wouldn’t be okay with waiting before having our next?” 

Josie shrugged, twisting a loose thread in her fingers to avoid answering. Of course she knew that Henry followed her lead on most things in their lives, wanting to make sure she felt comfortable and content with whatever decisions they made, but that still didn’t fully rid her of the lingering guilt and worry she felt making decisions she knew he might not want. 

“Come on, Jo. Be honest with me.” He said lightly, squeezing her hip to prompt her answer. 

“I didn’t know what you would think.” She answered with a sigh, setting her chin on his chest to look at him. “But I do know that we’ve talked about having a big family for as long as we’ve been married, and I was worried that me putting an axe to those plans would disappoint you.” 

“You haven’t put an axe to our plans, all you’ve said is you want a little time to recover and enjoy what we already have, and I see nothing wrong with that.” He said, pulling her up closer to his face so he could kiss her forehead. “And even if you said you wanted to be done now, I wouldn’t be cross with you. Maybe I would try to convince you to have one more so we could try for a girl…” 

Josie snorted, raising an eyebrow at her husband. “I don’t think we’re capable of it at this point. You have definitely ensured that the Tremblay name will live on.” 

Henry laughed, wrapping his arms around her to pull her into a tight hug. “How will we know that for sure unless we keep trying? I think that’s why we need a couple more, in the name of science.” 

Josie joined him in his laughter then, burying her face into his neck. “Give me a year, Papa Bear, and I think I’ll be ready to add another boy or two to the brood.”

Henry chuckled, drawing her in for another quick kiss. “Maybe you and Anne could have yours at the same time again, that is unless she and Gilbert want another sooner than that.” 

“No, I think she’s content waiting for a spell like I am.” She said, resting her head back on her husband’s chest as she remembered the tearful conversation they had earlier in the day. “Actually, she told me today that she lost a baby a few years ago.”

“What?” He asked, the hand that was rubbing her back going still at her unexpected statement. “When?” 

“Right before Christmas... 1902, I think she said? It would have been right around the time we got pregnant with William. Their little one would be right between him and Diana’s oldest.” 

Henry hummed at the clarification, eyebrows drawn together in thought for a moment before he exhaled loudly. “Gil lied to me.” 

“What do you mean, Gilbert lied to you?” Josie asked, lifting her head to look at him. 

“Well, not necessarily a lie,” He said quickly, his gaze fixed on the ceiling as he put the pieces together. “When he came to visit us before he left for Toronto I could tell something was off, and he told me that there was a chance Anne could be pregnant. I asked him to tell me how everything turned out, and I didn’t hear anything else about it until January, and only that there was nothing to worry about.” 

“So you knew and didn’t tell me?” Josie asked, trying to push down the twinge of hurt and annoyance that he hadn’t said anything about it to her. Henry shook his head, fighting the urge to roll his eyes at her. 

“I didn’t know anything Jo, just that it was a possibility. Gilbert had me promise that I wouldn’t say anything to you, and then once he said that they were in the clear I forgot all about it. If there had been anything to tell they would have told you in their time, but it wasn’t my business to spread.” 

Josie frowned, setting her head back down on his chest as she reminded herself to not make the issue about herself and her hurt feelings. “That makes sense, I suppose. Anne said that she was devastated when it happened, that she had just gotten used to the idea when she lost the pregnancy.” 

“I can’t even begin to imagine it,” Henry said, holding her a little tighter as the thought of losing one of their boys flashed through his mind, making his heart ache painfully in his chest. “Do you think I should talk to Gilbert about it?” 

Josie bit her lip, twisting her fingers into the fabric of his nightshirt. “I don’t know, Anne mostly talked about how she felt about the whole affair, I don’t know if he is still struggling with it all… I suppose if you wanted to tell him that you know the truth, that would be fair and he could then lead the conversation where he wanted it to go.” 

“That sounds like a great idea.” Henry said, giving her another squeeze. “I’ll bring it up tomorrow, if I can find time to get him alone.” 

“I’ll distract the boys, if you need me to.” Josie said, and as if the mention of their name had summoned them, the conversation was cut short when the door creaked open and the pitter patter of little feet filled the room, followed shortly by the blankets being pulled askew as a little body attempted to heft itself up into the bed. 

“Papa, help me.” Sam whispered, his voice strained as he clutched onto the quilts for dear life. Henry chuckled, letting Josie move from her position on his chest so he could sit up, easily lifting the child onto the bed. 

“What’s wrong, little cub?” Henry asked, settling his son on his lap. 

“I’m scared.” He whispered with a slight tremor in his voice. “I wanna sleep in here with you and mama.” 

Josie smiled, watching as Sam bent down to lay over Henry’s chest, cuddling up close to him. Though they tried valiantly to keep their sons in their own beds, once Sam started cuddling she knew Henry would fold easily. 

“Alright,” Henry said with a chuckle a moment later, proving Josie’s assumptions to be correct. “But only for a little while.” 

Josie just giggled, fitting herself into Henry’s side to snuggle with them, waiting patiently until one of the other boys showed up. They knew better than to think that if one showed up that the others wouldn’t, it was only a matter of time. 

Sure enough, a few minutes later the door opened again and Josie felt the blankets on her side being tugged. She shot Henry a knowing, playful look and a quiet giggle before she rolled over to see Will doing his best to heft Thomas up onto the bed, and out of fear of him bashing his head on something if he were to fall, Josie quickly pulled him up onto the bed. She settled Thomas on her lap before turning back to her bedside, finding Will already waiting with open arms for her to pull him up. Her heart melted at his assurance of her, that she would be there to lift him up, and she made sure to press a kiss to his cheek as she pulled him into bed with the rest of her brood. 

“Only a few minutes, then it’s back to your own beds. Alright, boys?” Henry said, his voice firm but loving. Josie held back a snort, and she was tempted to call his bluff, but everyone knew good and well that the three young boys would lay with them in bed until they all fell asleep, and only then would their parents carefully take them back down the hallway to their own beds. Still, his statement was met with three little nodding heads and three synchronous calls of, “Alright, Papa.” 

Underneath the dogpile of little arms, legs, and elbows Josie giggled and reached out across the mattress to stroke Henry’s cheek gently. He smiled, turning his head into the touch to meet her eyes. 

“ _I love you_.” He mouthed, barely visible in the dark of the room. Josie smiled back, her heart skipping a beat when he turned his head even more to press a kiss to the center of her palm. 

“ _I love you more.”_ She mouthed back before she let her eyes slip shut, basking in the warmth and love she felt surrounded by all of the boys who had stolen her heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! <3


	16. Sixteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo hoo, another chapter! Enjoy!

**March 1901**

“I suppose this is where I could say I was right all along, but I don’t find any joy watching you suffer, so I won’t.” Rachel said, startling Anne so badly that she dropped the teacup in her hands, wincing when it clattered on the table loudly. Thankfully, it didn’t break, and Anne shot the older woman a slightly dirty look as she grabbed another teacup from the hutch. 

“Still having trouble sleeping, I see.” Anne said, ignoring Rachel’s comment. 

“You understand it now, I bet you don’t sleep the same without Gilbert by your side either.” Rachel said, a knowing look on her face. Anne blushed, biting her bottom lip as she fussed with the fire. She was right, of course, not that she would admit that. 

“I suppose it doesn’t make any difference now if you knew that we had slept in the same bed together before we were married.” Anne confessed as she stared into the fire. Rachel snorted at the comment, and Anne spared a glance over her shoulder to see Rachel serving up two heaping slices of pie, an amused grin on her face. 

“No, it doesn’t. I can’t say I’m surprised, either.” She said with a shrug, sliding one of the plates across the table to Anne as she pulled the kettle from the fire and set about fixing tea for them. 

“It was only once,” Anne said, keeping her gaze down on her task as she spoke. “Believe it or not our encounters were rare, it wasn’t easy sneaking around, then being in different provinces for school made it exponentially more difficult.” 

“As rare as they were, it still wasn’t anything you two had business doing.” Rachel said as Anne pushed a cup across the table towards her. 

“I just don’t understand it, Rachel.” Anne said, frustration leaking out into her words. “I always knew that Gilbert was the man for me. Excuse my crass language, but his prick is the same now as it was before my last name was Blythe. Nothing changed when we got married except that we’ll do it all now and risk a child since I won’t be burned at the stake if I were to get pregnant.” 

Rachel snorted, taking a sip from her tea before responding. “It’s fun, isn’t it?” 

Anne blushed, giving the older woman a glare. “That’s not the point, you old ninny.” 

“Ah, I remember when I was a newlywed, still too modest to talk about it.” She laughed, taking another sip before setting her cup back down on the table before sighing, the tone shifting to something more serious. “Anne, you didn’t know that Gilbert would be the man you would marry.” 

“What do you mean, I didn’t know?” She scoffed, her pie laden fork stopping only inches from her mouth. 

“Not that I think Gilbert would do anything of the sort, but didn’t Josie Pye think that she would marry Billy Andrews?” Rachel said, raising an eyebrow. Anne frowned, rage bubbling within her, and noticing her rising temper, Rachel held a hand up. “Before you say anything, what he did is despicable and I am not trying to make excuses or put the blame on a naive young woman who wanted extra time with her beau. In fact, if I ever heard plans of him being in some sort of ‘tragic accident’ I would start arranging a meal train for his poor mother before it had even happened.” 

Anne hid her chuckle behind a mouthful of pie, adding another person to her mental list of people that would gladly kill Billy Andrews. 

“That being said, did Josie not think that Billy was the man for her before he showed his true colors? Now she’s married to that fine young man that Gilbert brought to town last summer. Don’t misinterpret what I’m trying to say, dear, I’m not suggesting that Gilbert would have done anything like Mr. Andrews did, but what if something horrible had happened and he had died? You had every intention of marrying him, yes, but unforeseen circumstances are always a possibility. What then? What would you tell the next man you were with?” Rachel said, raising an eyebrow across the table at Anne, who was looking very pale at the scenario that had been laid out before her. 

Anne bit down on her lip, her head spinning with what Rachel had just laid out in front of her. The thought of Gilbert passing away in some sort of freak accident had never crossed her mind. Why would it have? She had no reason to think her healthy, young beau would leave the earth anytime soon, so why would she even entertain the idea? Still, the scenario had been set out in front of her and begged to be thought through. If Gilbert had died tragically, would she regret anything they had done? The stolen kisses, touches, and trysts? Would she feel ashamed looking any man in the eye that came after Gilbert and telling him that she had some experience under her belt? 

“I don’t regret anything I did with Gil before we were married.” Anne said after a moment, looking up from where she had been staring into her tea while lost in thought. “My worth is not in my chastity, Rachel. He hasn’t taken anything from me, and I haven’t given a part of myself away in being intimate with him. Not that I want to experience what I have with Gilbert with anyone else, but if circumstances deemed it necessary I would hope that whoever came after him would not judge me for my actions. I know that’s quite a counter cultural perspective, but it’s the one I stand by firmly.” 

Rachel hummed, nodding a few times as she took in Anne’s response, her eyes falling down to her hands. “I’m not going to argue opinions with you Anne, because we both know that you and I differ in our mindsets. I will say that while you certainly have your own opinions that you stand by firmly, that doesn’t change the fact that people around here are going to treat you differently now. The fact that you’re married doesn’t change that, either, I’m afraid to say.” 

“I know that good and well, Rachel. I can’t help but feel guilty that I’ve been able to run away to Toronto and Kingsport while you, Matthew and Marilla are stuck here in the middle of the mess I made.” 

“Pish posh, it’s nothing we can’t handle. We might be old, but that doesn’t mean we’ve gone soft,” Rachel said, a look of grit and determination in her eyes. “People around here forget that I am a very good listener, and whatever talk they want to spread about you and Gilbert, I am more than happy to remind them of their own dirty laundry, should I need to.” 

Anne snorted, popping a bite of pie into her mouth. “If people are interested in what Gilbert and I do when we’re alone they’re more than welcome to ask me. I’m sure some of these stiffs wouldn’t know good sex if it bit them in the rear end.” 

“You can say that again,” Rachel tittered. “There are some women in town that are so uptight and grumpy that I almost sent Thomas to have a man-on-man conversation with their husbands because they obviously weren’t  _ honoring _ their wives, if you know what I mean. There’s no bad mood a good tumble in the sheets can’t fix.” 

Anne couldn’t help but laugh out loud at that comment, covering her hand with her mouth at the ridiculousness of it all. She was talking about  _ sex  _ with  _ Rachel Lynde _ . She was sure that the Lord above was surely having a chuckle at the absolutely absurd situation Anne had found herself in. 

“So, your wedding night. Was it everything you thought it would be?” Rachel asked with a chuckle, her eyes glimmering with a mischief that made Anne slightly nervous. 

Anne blushed, her jaw dropping at the old woman’s brazen comment. “Rachel!” 

“Come on, indulge an old woman, dear. As much as I love Marilla she isn’t exactly well versed on the topic, bless her heart.” Rachel pried, and Anne huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“It wasn’t exactly my wedding night, per se.” Anne said with a nervous chuckle. “If you can believe it, I was a little stressed on my wedding day and for quite a while after.” 

“But…” Rachel said, gesturing for Anne to get on with it. 

“But when it did happen it was...nice. Very nice.” Anne said, her face on fire because once again she was talking about  _ sex  _ with  _ Rachel _ . “Gilbert was very sweet and gentle. It didn’t hurt at all, actually.” 

“Really?” Rachel said, her eyebrows lifting upwards. “Color me surprised, I cried my first time. I was excited of course, but neither of us knew what we were doing and the nerves got the better of me. Listen closely, dear: no matter how nice it is now, it’s only going to get better.” She said with a nostalgic look on her face, as if she was thinking back on that particular memory. 

“That’s nice to know.” Anne giggled. 

“And what about our dear Josie? How is her new husband treating her?” Rachel asked, taking a dainty bite of her pie. Anne snorted, shaking her head. 

“Very respectfully, they don’t even sleep in the same room as of right now. Josie has no desire to... _ know  _ him… in that way at the current moment.” Anne said. “Though I might try to pick her brain on the subject a little bit more when I visit them next month… She’s meeting his family next week, and she’s extremely nervous. Don’t tell her I told you that though.” 

“I reckon she’s had enough people gossiping about her, don’t you think?” Rachel said, finishing off the last of her tea. 

“I think this is the first thing we both wholeheartedly agree upon, my dear Rachel.” Anne replied with a bright smile, popping her final bite of pie in her mouth before standing up. 

“Alright, I can handle this mess.” Rachel said as she stood as well, reaching out to squeeze Anne’s hand gently. “You go get your rest dear. Thank you for making me feel young again, if even for a moment.” 

“Of course, goodnight.” Anne said, leaning down to brush a kiss against Rachel’s cheek affectionately before turning for the stairs. 

“Oh, and Anne?” She said, catching her attention as she reached the stairs. Anne turned, raising her eyebrows to show that she was listening. “We love you, no matter what anyone else thinks, alright? Nothing is going to change that.” 

Anne smiled, biting down on the inside of her cheek to hold back the tears. “I love you too, Rachel. Goodnight.” 

With that the older woman set about cleaning up the dishes they had dirtied and Anne climbed the stairs, feeling more at peace than she had in a very long time. 

* * *

**April 1901**

Anne was tired, achy, and exhausted as she stepped off the train in Toronto, her carpet bag feeling as if it were filled with rocks as she hefted it along. Despite the long journey and the lack of sleep, all of her weariness disappeared when she saw the unruly curls of her husband, a bouquet of flowers in his hand and a bright smile on his face. She squealed, darting and dodging around the people that bustled through the station, dropping her bag on the ground to throw her arms around Gilbert’s neck, kissing him square on the mouth. 

She had been looking forward to their reunion for months, ever since she got his letter saying that she would be able to come, and she had hardly thought of anything else since. 

“Welcome home.” Gilbert chuckled as he set her back on the ground, cupping her cheek in his hand. She giggled, wrapping her arms around him, completely ignoring the dirty looks and frustrated huffs of the people around them. She didn’t give a damn if she was in their way, she had not seen Gilbert in three months, and was going to relish their reunion. 

“Come on,” He chuckled, pulling away from her embrace and bending over to pick up her bag. “There’s a certain blonde at the apartment that has been very excited for you to visit.” 

Anne squealed again as she was reminded of the other reunion she would be having very soon. She and Josie had exchanged a few letters over the course of the semester, but it was nowhere near as consistent as her correspondence with Gilbert was. She had been getting the details of the Tremblays from his letters and living vicariously through her husband, and she was more than ready to sit and pry out all of the details from Josie (which would be an adventure in and of itself, but she was hoping that the bottle of wine Phil had somehow managed to get her hands on would be enough to loosen Josie’s lips a little bit.) 

“Oh, I’m so excited!” She said happily, pulling the bouquet from Gilbert’s hand, sniffing the blooms appreciatively as she looped her arm through his. “Now tell me everything, I need to know what I’m walking into.” 

Gilbert chuckled, rolling his eyes at his excitable wife, leaning down to press a quick kiss to her temple before straightening. “I think the biggest development is that Henry has moved into the bedroom with Josie; the cot has been firmly out of commission for a few weeks now.” 

Anne gasped, her eyes going wide as she looked up at him. “Really?” 

Gilbert nodded. 

“Do you think they’ve…” She whispered, and Gilbert shook his head. 

“I don’t think so. Henry hasn’t said anything to me about it, not that he would anyways, but I haven’t…  _ heard _ anything that would suggest it. Josie still acts prickly at the best of times, though I have seen Henry kiss her goodbye once or twice when he leaves for class in the mornings, but I don’t think they’ve explored the realms of marital intimacies yet.”

“I would be absolutely mind boggled, from the last I heard from her, she is very firmly in the ‘it’s never going to happen’ category,” she said, and Gilbert chuckled. 

“I know, Henry and I went to a pub a few weeks ago with some of our school chums, and he got ridiculously drunk and lamented about it on the walk back to the apartment.” He said, laughing at the memory of Henry stumbling down the sidewalk, loudly wondering if he would die a virgin. He then backtracked and insisted that he would be alright if he did, because he would never force Josie into anything, but then he would round back to the fact that he very much did  _ not  _ want to die a virgin. Gilbert had wanted to bring it up the next morning, but he had barely taken a step out of his room before Henry was crowding his space and threatening him within an inch of his life should he ever even think about bringing up what he had said the night before. 

“Poor thing. He’s so in love with her, he doesn’t know what to do with himself, does he?” Anne tittered, and Gilbert joined her laughter because they both knew a truer statement had never been made. 

“Alright, enough about the Tremblays.” Anne said with a smile, squeezing his arm lightly. “Tell me all about school, and your work with the esteemed Emily Oak. Don’t spare a single detail.” 

With that, Gilbert launched into a story about a research mishap with Emily that left Anne in stitches, and the time passed quickly as they walked to the apartment, taking advantage of the mild weather and clear skies as the young couple began making up for lost time. 

He could tell the closer they got to the apartment, the more excited Anne got. By the time they made it into the building, Gilbert was gently taking the bouquet from her hands and replacing it with the key to the door, giving Anne a smack on the backside as she started climbing the stairs. 

“Go on ahead, I know you want to. I’ll be right behind you,” he said with a chuckle. She shot a beaming smile over her shoulder before she picked up her skirts and began sprinting up the stairs, the loud thuds of her feet echoing through the stairwell. He heard the screams of delight from down the hallway as he walked onto the landing, quickening his pace to get into his apartment before the neighbors decided to get nosy and see what the commotion was about. 

“I can’t wait to hear absolutely everything that’s happened since I’ve last seen you!” Josie said happily as he entered the apartment and shut the door behind him, a radiant smile on her face. It was strange, seeing Josie so genuinely happy, and he couldn’t remember the last time he had seen the woman smile so widely. It made him glad knowing that Anne had brought the good mood out of her, but he also couldn’t help the small sense of disappointment that he felt. In a perfect world, he would already have Anne in bed for a long nap, or half undressed for other activities, but he knew that the world he lived in was not perfect, and he would have to wait for any alone time with her. 

He bit back a sigh, setting Anne’s bag down on the floor and pulling his hat and coat off to hang on the hook by the door. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he turned around and Henry was right behind him, reaching around him for his and Josie’s hats. 

Josie winked at him and Anne as the door closed behind them, leaving the apartment silent except for Anne’s quiet tittering. Gilbert turned slowly to his wife, somewhat confused by the turn of events, but he chose not to linger on it when his eyes landed on Anne, who was already unbuttoning her blouse. 

“Give me thirty minutes to rest and I’m all yours.” She said with a mischievous look in her eye, and Gilbert could only laugh as he took two steps forward and scooped her up in his arms, dipping his head to the creamy skin of her neck and chest as he walked into his bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him. 

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed since Henry and Josie had left, but he knew that it was definitely not long enough when he heard the loud knock on the front door, followed by the sound of the door opening. Maybe in other circumstances, he would have had a little more shame and would have at least attempted to be quiet. In that moment though, he had his wife’s legs over his shoulders and was in the process of making up three months worth of lost time, and not even the return of Christ could have stopped him or slowed him down. 

Josie and Henry were adults and they were well aware of what they could potentially walk into, so he didn’t feel the least bit sorry as the bed squeaked rhythmically underneath them. Plus, the sound of the door slamming a second time made him think that the apartment remained blissfully vacant, not that he would have stopped either way. 

“Did the door open earlier, or did I just imagine that?” Anne asked lazily as they cuddled a little while later, blissfully content to lay there in her husband’s arms. Gilbert chuckled, running his fingers lightly over her back. 

“I think Josie and Henry came back from their walk a little too early.” He answered, and Anne giggled sleepily, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. 

“We need to find a way to thank Josie very handsomely for suggesting that she and Henry vacate the apartment for a little while. I’m sure Henry never would have thought of such a thing.” She giggled, pressing a kiss to his neck. 

“If it had been Henry’s idea, his ideal form of repayment is to never mention it again. Josie’s going to want something though, won’t she?” Gilbert asked, an eyebrow quirked up in a silent question. 

Anne giggled, nodding once. “Most definitely, but hopefully the wine in my bag is enough to make her happy.” 

“Wine? Where on earth did you get that?” He asked, looking at her as if she had gone mad. Anne hummed, giving him a mischievous look. 

“A woman never reveals her secrets. All I can say is that Josie and I are going to have a very lovely girls night,” she said cryptically. She sat up and slipped out of bed, setting about gathering her clothes that had been tossed haphazardly around the room. “Now get up and get dressed, the Tremblays will be back any moment and I would hate to extend their exile any longer.” 

Gilbert simply snorted as he got up and obeyed his wife’s command. He knew one thing for sure- he was in for a very interesting week. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you guys liked it! <3


	17. Seventeen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeehaw, another update! Enjoy!

**April 1901**

Anne was already dressed in her nightgown and tucked under the covers when there was a quick knock on the door, followed by it being opened and shut in the blink of an eye. 

“Anne Blythe,” Josie said slowly, a wicked grin on her face. “If you want to thank me and my husband for being blissfully absent this afternoon so that Gilbert could have his way with you, you’ll unbutton your gown and show me the damage that’s been done.” 

Anne giggled, setting the bottle of wine in between her knees as her hands went to her throat, unbuttoning the top of her gown with deft movements, baring the creamy pale skin of her chest to her friend. Josie shrieked at the sight, her face lighting up as she took in the plethora of love bites across her skin. The two dissolved into a fit of giggles as Josie practically bounced across the room and into bed beside her friend, pulling the bottle of wine from between Anne’s knees as the redhead set about fixing her nightgown. 

“Gilbert portrays himself to be such a modest man, but it appears that behind closed doors he is anything but.” Josie said with a light giggle, taking a healthy drink from the bottle before passing it to Anne. 

“Don’t I know it!” She laughed, taking a long swig before leaning back into the fluffy pillows. “I think it’s for the best that we’re kept several provinces apart right now, it may be the only way I keep from falling pregnant.” 

Josie snorted, following Anne’s lead as she settled down onto the bed, getting settled in for what was certain to be a night of girl talk that was world’s better than what the ladies at church could provide. 

“Sometimes I wish I could be a province away from Henry, if only to use that as an excuse as to why I’m _not_ pregnant yet.” She said with a roll of her eyes. Anne hid a giggle behind her hand, lifting the bottle of wine to her lips once more before responding. 

”I take it that the pestering has already begun?” She asked, earning herself a scoff from the other woman. 

“Yes, and it makes me want to scream.” She grouched, pulling the bottle from her hands to take a drink. “A few months ago one of the ladies at church had the audacity to ask how big Henry is under the belt, I wanted to punch her in the throat for it.” 

Anne threw her head back with laughter at that, shrieking quietly when Josie pinched her in retaliation. “Ouch! You mean hag, that hurt!” 

“You deserved that for laughing at my plight. I was absolutely mortified.” Josie huffed, giving her a dirty look. 

“Well, what did you say? You didn’t know the answer...did you?” Anne asked, raising her eyebrows, letting the thinly veiled question lingering in the air. Josie scoffed, taking another sip of wine to avoid answering. 

“No, I didn’t know the answer then and I still don’t know the answer now, you nosy cow.” She said, though Anne caught the look of hesitation that flashed over her face. 

“You aren’t telling me something.” Anne said, the wine already making her lips a little looser than they would normally be. She knew better than to push Josie too much, but the wine was doing its job to make both of them more relaxed, giving Anne more leeway than she normally would have. 

Josie bit down on her lip, looking as if she was having a mental debate with herself, and after a moment she sighed loudly and took a healthy drink of wine before clearing her throat and declaring, “In a conversation between Henry and I following the church ladies’ question, Henry more or less told me that he is... _substantial_ in that particular area.” 

Anne gasped, looking downright gleeful to hear the information, and before she could even stop herself she was squealing, lightly slapping Josie’s arm in delight. The blonde simply shot her a dirty look and shoved her away, rolling her eyes. 

“Will you stop it? It isn’t like I’m going to have any hands on experience with it anytime soon. I’m too much of a coward for that.” She said bitterly. 

“Oh? Does that mean you’d like to get your hands on him eventually?” Anne teased, pulling the bottle from Josie’s hands to take a sip. 

“Well if I’m going to be handling anyone, it’s safe to assume that it would be my husband, would it not?” Josie said. Anne simply giggled, hiding her smile behind the bottle. 

“I still firmly believe that you’ll get there one day. At least you have something to look forward to when you do, if he really is as gifted as he suggested he was.” She said under her breath, earning a hard slap on the arm.

“Anne Blythe!” Josie shrieked, her face going pink from a mixture of the wine and embarrassment. 

(Unbeknownst to them in the living room, Gilbert and Henry were settling down to study and go about their night, and at the loud squeal of _Anne Blythe!_ the two looked up at each other, then to the door, then back to each other. 

“Do you want to take a guess as to what she said?” Henry asked, raising an eyebrow at his friend. Gilbert snorted, shaking his head. 

“I’m choosing to live in blissful ignorance about all of their conversations tonight, even though I know the two bastards who are likely at the center of it all.” 

Henry chuckled, picking up his glass of water in a small toast. “Hear, hear.”) 

A little while, a significant amount of wine, and Gilbert being exiled from his own bedroom later, Anne and Josie were both pink cheeked and giggly when the topic of their husbands came back up as they sat slouched in the bed passing the bottle of wine back and forth. 

“You can’t tell me that you don’t have any affection for your husband, Josie Tremblay.” Anne said with a hiccup. “Because I know for a fact that you’ve been smitten with him for a good long while. Don’t think that Diana didn’t tell me how giddy you got whenever you got a letter from him.” 

“Shut your trap, Anne.” Josie grouched, though her words lacked any real heat. 

“Oh, come on! It’s not a sin to admit that you actually like the man you’re married to.” Anne snorted, poking the blonde in the ribs as she teased. “Admit it, you think he’s handsomeeee. You wanna kisssss himmmmmm all over his faceeeeee.” She singsonged, giggling all the while as Josie blushed bright pink. 

“I certainly could have done worse.” She said, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“You’re always so pessimistic Josie, say something nice. I promise I won’t tell Henry.” Anne goaded. Josie huffed, shooting her friend a dirty look before taking a large swig from the bottle. 

“Fine, my husband is incredibly good looking and I find him very, very attractive. Is that what you wanted to hear?” She said. Anne giggled, nodding happily. 

“Are there any particular features you’d like to admire? For example, I think Gilbert has a splendid chin, and his shoulders are very strong and defined.” Anne said with a wistful sigh. Josie’s eyebrows lifted as she took another sip of wine. 

“Really?” She asked, and Anne nodded. 

“His time on the steamship did him good, and between you and me I think he still does push ups to stay strong because he knows I like his muscles.” Anne said quietly, sending both of them into a fit of giggles. Josie tapped her chin with her finger as Anne plucked the bottle from her hands, her wine addled mind slowing her thought process while also letting her thoughts drift to places she normally would not let herself go to. 

“He’s very broad,” Josie said, pulling a titter from her friend at her confession. “And he just absolutely dwarfs me, and at first I thought that it was intimidating… I quite like how much bigger he is than me.” 

Anne beamed at her, the drunken musing showing more vulnerability than she had seen from Josie in a long time. Of course she was glad to hear Josie’s true feelings when she was sad or upset, but it brought Anne a large measure of joy to hear the positive feelings that Josie refused to let herself feel and experience as well. 

“Well look at you, Mrs. Tremblay! Your husband is built like a brick wall and you appreciate that, who would have thought!” She teased with a giggle, playfully poking at her friend. Josie simply snorted, her face turning a deeper shade of pink as she stole the bottle from her, quickly tipping it backwards, only for it to slosh out before it made it to her mouth, quickly soaking and staining the front of her nightgown. 

“Oh, shit.” Josie swore quietly, slapping a hand over her mouth when she realized what she had said. Anne snorted, raising an eyebrow at her friend. 

“Oh no, you said a bad word, I’m going to go tell your mother so she can wash your mouth out with soap.” Anne said sarcastically, pulling a laugh from her friend. They both dissolved into a fit of giggles, which only got worse every time they looked down at the deep red stain on Josie’s chest. 

“I’m going to go change, then it’ll be your turn to make an embarrassing confession.” Josie said once they got a hold of themselves, sticking her tongue out playfully at her friend before slipping out of the bed, stumbling slightly as she went. Anne simply laughed, helping herself to a few more gulps of the wine while she waited. Far sooner than she thought it would take for Josie to change the door was opening again, and Anne perked up quickly, deflating slightly when she noticed that it was Gilbert rather than her friend. 

“Hey! You aren’t Josie.” She said, narrowing her eyes at him. 

“Good observation, Carrots.” Gilbert laughed as he shut the door behind him. “I’m afraid she’s given up her spot, and I am more than willing to occupy it in her absence.” 

“No, Gilbert.” Anne whined, slumping in the bed. “Josie and I are having girl talk, it’s ooey and mushy and you don’t want to sit here and listen to us talk about you and Henry.” 

“You’re right, that is the very last thing I want to listen to. I would like no part in whatever you two have been talking about in here all night.” He said with a chuckle, sliding into bed beside her and plucking the bottle from her hands. He took a swig, grimaced at the taste, and then set it aside on the nightstand. Anne giggled, tucking herself into his side. 

“Oh, it’s nothing too bad. Only about how Josie thinks Henry is broad and handsome,” She tittered. “And that he’s also pretty gifted below the belt, according to him. She still hasn’t made her acquaintance with it yet.” 

Gilbert slapped his hands over his ears, squeezing his eyes shut. “Alright, we’ve gone from amusing to information I have no business knowing very quickly, you can stop now, Anne.” 

“You’re very cute when you’re all flustered.” She giggled, completely unperturbed by her husband’s discomfort. 

“And you’re cute when you aren’t seeking to send me to an early grave.” Gilbert grouched, tugging lightly on her braid before pressing a kiss to the side of her head. 

“Does it make you uncomfortable thinking about Henry’s-” 

“Yes. Whatever you were going to end that sentence with the answer is a resounding yes. Now stop messing with me or you’ll be the one sleeping on the cot tonight.” He said, running his hand over her backside and pinching it lightly to tease her. Anne simply giggled, giving Gilbert a sloppy kiss on the cheek. 

“I’ll behave, I promise.” She said, the wine suddenly making her feel much more tired than she had been only moments before. She took the new feeling in stride and nuzzled into his chest, her loud yawn proving just how tired she was. Gilbert chuckled, squeezing her tightly before he reached over to turn off the lamp on the bedside table. 

“I’ll believe it when I see it, sweetheart.” He said quietly, pressing one last kiss to her temple before letting his eyes shut and welcoming unconsciousness. (That is, until a few minutes later when Josie comes back into the room, only to be told to _“go cuddle with your own spouse, mine is taken”_ by Gilbert. After a moment of complaining from the blonde she retreated, her flushed cheeks and kiss-swollen lips going unnoticed because of the dark room. Only after she’s gone does Gilbert finally go to sleep.) 

* * *

“Gil, I feel awful.” Anne groaned as she was deposited into Henry and Josie’s bed the morning after their drunken shenanigans. She had spent a good portion of the morning with her head over the washbasin, her stomach purging itself of its contents and somehow, she felt worse than she had when she had woken up. Only after she and Josie had finished vomiting did their husbands scoop them up and tuck them back into bed for much needed rest and recuperation. 

“I know you do, darling, I’m sorry.” Gilbert said with a chuckle, pressing a featherlight kiss to her brow as Henry settled Josie into bed beside her. 

“I need to clean up my mess,” Anne said, trying to sit up, only to have a hand set on her shoulder, keeping her from getting upright. She somehow managed to get her eyes open to see Gilbert shaking his head at her, pushing her back down onto the mattress. 

“Oh no you don’t. Henry and I will take care of everything, you two just get some rest. It isn’t the first time I’ve cleaned up your sick, and it likely won’t be the last.” He said with a chuckle. “Say, Henry, have I told you about the time Anne got sun poisoning?” 

Henry chuckled, shaking his head as he smoothed a hand over Josie’s hair. The blonde didn’t seem to have the same level of concern that Anne had, and was already halfway to unconsciousness again. 

“No, I don’t think you have.” He said as they started towards the door, ignoring the glare that Anne was giving her husband. 

“Don’t you dare tell him that story, Gilbert Blythe!” She yelled after them, only to receive a hard slap and command to “ _shut the hell up_ ” from the cranky woman lying next to her. Being more afraid of the wrath of Josie Tremblay than the embarrassment of the story, Anne let the subject drop with a huff as the door shut quietly behind the two men and in no time at all, she let sleep take her once more. 

* * *

“I’m an idiot, Anne.” Josie grumbled sometime later that afternoon, her voice muffled by the pillow. Anne hummed to prompt an inquiry into her statement, not having the energy to do anything more than that. 

“What ‘appened?” She managed to say, keeping her head firmly underneath her pillow. 

“I asked Henry to kiss me last night like he would if I had never been hurt.” Josie said, and the surprise of it was enough to have Anne pop up quickly despite the wave of nausea that it sent over her. 

“What?” 

“Please don’t make me say it again.” Josie said weakly, keeping her face hidden in the sheets. 

Anne settled back down, closing her eyes to let the nausea subside before posing her next question. “Well, did he?” 

“Oh my word, did he!” Josie said with a scoff throwing her hands in the air. “Anne, that man kissed the absolute stuffing out of me! I have _never_ been kissed that way before, _ever_.” 

Anne chuckled, turning her head to look at her friend, pulling the covers away from her face to look her in the eye. Josie gave her a dirty look, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“And what did you think about this particularly passionate kiss, Mrs. Tremblay? It sounds like someone liked it a great deal.” Anne giggled with a mischievous look on her face. Josie gave her a dirty look, her face going hard and impassive. 

“I don’t want to talk about it.” She said stormily, pulling the covers over herself as she turned over, putting her back to her friend. 

“You’re the one who brought it up!” Anne laughed, snuggling back underneath the covers. 

“I did but now I don’t want to talk about it anymore, so just drop it!” Josie snapped, her tone bordering on hostile, and Anne shut her mouth.

Josie sighed after a few moments of tense silence. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”   
“You should have,” Anne countered softly, knowing that she was walking on very precarious ground. “That’s a very big step in your relationship… are you alright? Do you feel as if it went too far?” 

Another long pause followed before Josie answered, her voice small and quiet. “No.” 

“And Henry didn’t…” 

“No,” Josie said quickly. “He was a perfect gentleman, he always is. In fact, he didn’t want to kiss me at all because I was drunk. He didn’t think it would be right.” 

Anne hummed, sitting up in bed and after a moment of hesitation, she reached out and set a hand on her friend’s shoulder. Her heart ached when Josie stiffened underneath the unexpected touch, only to relax a moment later. 

“I know I’ve said it before when we were joking around, but I’ll say it again now earnestly. Josie, it’s okay to admit that you have feelings for Henry, to both yourself and him.” 

Josie simply sighed, pulling the blankets tighter around herself. “My head still hurts, I’m going back to sleep.” 

Anne bit her lip at the sudden change in topic, but knowing that she had already pushed the conversation a great deal, she dropped the subject and slipped out of bed, leaving her alone in the bedroom to go see what Gilbert was up to. 

* * *

That night when she slipped into bed and slid close to Gilbert, her head was still swimming from the conversation she had with Josie that morning. She pressed her front against his back, wrapping her arms around him to hold him tightly as she pressed a kiss to his shoulder. 

“If I tell you something, you have to keep it a secret, alright?” She said quietly. 

“Is it about Henry and Josie?” He asked, his voice already thick with sleep. Anne sighed with relief that he already knew, humming in affirmation. “Henry told me this morning, he was completely frazzled by it.” 

“So was Josie, I think. She made it seem like he really laid one on her.” She said with a yawn. 

“She gave him an inch and he gladly took it.” Gilbert said with a shrug. “He’s panicking now though that she didn’t enjoy it, or that she’s upset with him because he did it while she was drunk.” 

“She definitely liked it. She didn’t actually say it aloud, but I know her well enough that it was plain to see. I think part of her is panicking though because she actually let herself feel something other than indifference towards him. My guess is she’s scared by it.” She explained, pressing another kiss in between Gilbert’s shoulder blades. Gilbert just hummed, turning her statement over in his head. 

“Josie doesn’t make any sense to me.” He finally admitted with a heavy sigh, and Anne giggled. 

“She’s a tough nut to crack, that’s for sure.” She said with a small nod, letting them lapse into a quiet moment to think about the conundrum that their friends were in. 

“Do you think we should tell Henry your theory?” Gilbert asked after a moment, breaking the silence that had settled over them. Anne sighed, pressing her cheek against his shoulder as she thought on the idea for a moment. 

“No,” She finally said. “He’ll never learn to truly read and understand her if we tell him. I’m afraid this is something he’ll have to figure out for himself. It’s their marriage and their communication hurdles that they need to jump over. All we can do is listen to them when they confide in us, and encourage them to speak with the other.” 

Gilbert chuckled at her logic as he turned over to face her. She gave him a small smile when he reached out to gently stroke her cheek, brushing a loose strand of hair away from her face. 

“I can’t believe I married such a smart woman.” He said after a moment, his eyes and words soft and filled with tender emotion. Anne giggled, leaning in to brush her lips against his. 

“I did get the highest score on the Queen's entrance exam, if you can recall.” She giggled, only to earn a scoff from Gilbert. 

“Excuse me, I do believe that you tied for first with a very handsome gentleman.” He said with mock offense. Anne simply snorted, playfully rolling her eyes at him. 

“A very handsome man, you say? Well what is this very handsome man doing now? I think I’d like to have a rigorous academic conversation with him.” She said, taking up a serious tone, though her laughter threatened to spill through and ruin her ruse at any moment. Gilbert gave her a wicked grin then, throwing a leg over her body to set himself over her, leaning down to nip at her collarbone quickly before kissing a trail up to her ear. 

“He’s busy at the moment, he’s doing other rigorous activities with his beautiful wife.” He said, capturing her earlobe with his teeth, drawing a gasp from Anne’s lips. 

“Oh, is he now?” She said as her breath caught in her throat while her fingers twisted into the fabric of his nightshirt and her hips lifted to meet his. Gilbert simply chuckled and set about proving just how busy of a man he was. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading guys <3


	18. Eighteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a little bit longer of a chapter than normal, its got a little bit of everything: fluff, a touch of angst, more fluff, what more could you want? Hope you guys enjoy! 
> 
> (Also, I adjusted the chapter count. It probably won't be the last, because I have no sense of self control and there's a lot of story to still shove in.)

**April 1901**

“I feel so blessed that the weather has been kind to us while I’ve been visiting.” Anne said happily, tipping her head back to let the sun shine on it as they walked down the street towards the Oak Residence. It had been an unseasonably warm day, though there was still a chill that lingered in the air the sun had been full and bright, cutting through the last dregs of winter as spring made its forthcoming arrival very evident. Gilbert chuckled as he slipped his hand in hers, bringing it up to his mouth to press a kiss to the back of it. 

“It has been a beautiful week, you’re right. I hope you’ve enjoyed your visit as much as I have,” He said with a nod, looking down at her with a smile. “It makes me sad thinking about how tomorrow is your last full day.” 

“Well then don’t think about it, silly goose. We still have all day tomorrow. Then it’s five more weeks and we’ll be back together for the whole summer.” Anne said with a laugh, squeezing his hand lightly in hers. 

“Very true, dear. Though I suppose you’ll be quite busy once we get to Avonlea, won’t you?” Gilbert asked, raising an eyebrow up at her. She looked confused at his statement, looking up at him as if he had grown two heads. 

“What do you mean, I’ll be busy? If that’s your way of telling me that you’ll be keeping me occupied, I don’t think I would mind that at all.” She said, giving him a flirty look that made him blush. 

“For Pete’s sake, we’re in public, Anne. Can you not withhold from making statements like that when we’re in the presence of others?” He groaned, and she snorted a laugh. 

“Says you, the King of suggestive comments! Or did I just dream about that afternoon when we were courting that you called me the apple in your Eden?” She said, pinching his arm lightly. “You are the ultimate tease here, Mr. Blythe, though it’s cute when you pretend to be modest.” 

“And you, Mrs. Blythe, have your mind stuck permanently in the gutter. While I do certainly plan to occupy a great deal of your time during summer break, what I meant was that you’ll have to start planning our wedding shortly after you get to Avonlea, will you not?” Gilbert said, getting to the point he had been trying to make before Anne derailed their conversation, as she was wont to do.

“Wedding?” Anne asked, looking more confused than every. “Gil, we’re already married.” 

He rolled his eyes at his wife, wishing her could thump her on the head or tug on a strand of hair without incurring her wrath. “I’m well aware of that, darling. Do you not remember our conversation back in January, the night before Henry came back?” 

“Oh I remember that night well, I wanted to cry with laughter when I saw Henry using that quilt the other night. If only he knew...” Anne said with a suggestive smirk and a twinkle in her eye. 

Gilbert pinched her. 

“Temptress,” He grumbled, clearing his throat and ignoring the dirty look from Anne, he continued. “While that certainly was a memorable night, I was referring to what we spoke about prior to certain activities taking place.” 

Anne’s eyebrows knitted together as she thought back to that cold January night, when the pain of the sudden upheaval of her life was replaced with love and comfort. She remembered the vows they had said to each other, wrapped up in each other's arms as they basked in the warmth of the fireplace. She also remembered what transpired after, when they made love for the first time, but she seemed to be drawing a blank as to what Gilbert was referring to. 

“I think you might need to remind me.” She said with a sheepish grin. 

“I told you that we could have a party this summer celebrating our marriage, since we didn’t get anything like that when we were actually married.” He explained, watching as her eyes lit up with remembrance. 

“Yes! I remember that now,” She said happily, a beaming smile stretching across her face. “Oh Gil, that’s a lovely idea! We can invite everyone, do you think if we were to do it at the end of August that would be enough time to plan it all and convince the good people of Avonlea that we aren’t depraved hoodlums so that they’ll actually attend?”

“I would hope eight months would be enough to let everyone move on to someone else’s dirty laundry.” Gilbert said with a chuckle. 

“I think people will forget about our sneaking around with time, but what concerns me more is that my friend’s mothers will likely never forgive me for telling their daughters about the mysteries of life. Diana and I have only been able to stay in touch because Aunt Jo sends her letters to me. Did you know that Mrs. Barry told Mrs. Blackmore to screen the mail for anything concerning me? Nothing gets in or out of that house when it comes to me and it’s all a bit ridiculous, in my opinion.” Anne said with a sigh, pulling her hand from his to cross her arms over her chest. Gilbert frowned, reaching for her hand once more. 

“I know, darling. You’ve definitely suffered the most out of the two of us, but I promise that I’ll do everything in my power to have all of our friends and family there to celebrate us. It’s what you always deserved, and I’ll be damned if we don’t get it.” He said with firm conviction, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand that brought a small smile to her lips. 

“I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you, Gilbert Blythe.” She said softly, looking up at him with love-filled eyes. Gilbert chuckled, squeezing her hand as they climbed up the steps to the Oak’s house. 

“I think it started when you gave me a concussion with that slate, and you eating my love letter really sealed the deal.” He quipped, giving her a wink as her cheeks went pink at the mention of two of her finer moments. 

“You are such an-” 

“Anne Blythe, you are a sight for sore eyes!” Emily Oak exclaimed, cutting off Anne before she could finish the insult by pulling her into a tight hug. Anne returned the embrace, giving Gilbert a glare over the other woman’s shoulder, holding up her hand in a gesture that showed him what she really thought about his teasing. 

Gilbert, being the ass he was, just laughed. 

* * *

After a wonderful dinner with the Oaks, Anne and Gilbert were both stuffed to the gills and ready to fall into bed for the evening. Little did they know that upon their return to the apartment, they would be both needed by their friends. It began only a few minutes after they walked into the apartment when Henry cleared his throat, standing up from the couch to give Gilbert a small nod.

“I think I’m going to go for a smoke, care to join me?” He asked, the hidden look of _I need to talk to you_ abundantly clear to Gilbert, though to anyone else the casual invitation wouldn’t draw much suspicion. He nodded, grabbing his pipe and tobacco before grabbing his coat as he followed Henry out of the apartment. 

“What’s the matter?” Gilbert asked once they had settled on a bench outside of their apartment, the smoke from their pipes drifting up aimlessly into the cool night air. Henry chuckled quietly, taking a puff from his pipe before answering. 

“Am I really that obvious?” He asked, raising an eyebrow at his friend. Gilbert shook his head. 

“No, I’m sure Anne didn’t think anything was out of the ordinary. It’s just that I know you well enough to know that something is off.” He answered with a simple shrug. “Care to tell me about it?” 

“I’m sure you can guess the subject of my frustration. My wife makes me want to pull my hair out, but that’s hardly uncommon, is it?” Henry said with a snort. 

“Is it a safe assumption that this stems from the incident earlier this week?” Gilbert asked, receiving a short nod in return. 

“She isn’t upset with me about it, which is a relief. I was worried that she was afraid of me now, or resentful of me for doing it while she was drunk.” Henry said with a heavy sigh. “But it turns out she all but ignored my existence for four days because she was embarrassed by what she did, even though I was not complaining in the slightest.” 

“I understand how that can be frustrating.” Gilbert said, sparing a glance to where Henry was sitting beside him, looking down at the sidewalk with a stormy look on his face. He didn’t try to pry, knowing that he was sorting through his thoughts and that he would talk when he was ready. Instead, he let silence fall over them, letting the noise of the city nightlife fill the quiet as they puffed on their pipes. 

“It’s always one step forward, two steps back with Josie.” Henry said after a few minutes, tilting his head backwards to look up at the stars. “I love her. My God, do I love her. I just wish I could get that through her thick head and let her know that she doesn’t have to be embarrassed when she does things that suggest that she might feel the same for me.” 

“Do you think she loves you back?” Gilbert asked, raising an eyebrow at his friend. 

“Honestly? I don’t know. I like to think that she will some day, but part of me wonders if I’ve doomed myself for a life of unrequited love. It breaks my heart most of the time, to be frank with you.” Henry said with a sigh, scrubbing his hand over his face. Gilbert hummed, feeling sorry for his friend. He was no stranger to Henry’s frustration and sense of helplessness when it came to his relationship with Josie, he had spent countless hours listening to his friend vent and it pained him that he could do little more than listen. He was even more powerless than Henry was when it came to getting through to Josie. 

“I think she’s coming around to it all,” He said after a moment, trying to be positive while also being realistic. “I think she trusts and respects you as a friend, but she’s struggling to let herself see you in a romantic light. Remember, the last man she loved…” 

“I know.” Henry said quickly, his jaw clenching in anger at the mere mention of Billy Andrews. “He broke her heart and her trust. I would beat his face in for what he’s done to her, if I got the chance.” 

“I pray that you do one day, he deserves it.” Gilbert said with a chuckle, reaching over to give him a solid clap on the back before dumping the contents of his pipe out onto the sidewalk, stamping out the ashes underneath his shoe. 

“I suppose it’s time to head back inside, isn’t it?” Henry said with a heavy sigh, looking as if he would rather sleep on the bench than go face his wife again. 

“It is,” Gilbert said with a small shrug. “But Henry?” 

“Yeah, Gil?”

“You’re doing right by her, and I think your effort and patience will be worth it in the end.” He said, giving Henry one last clap on the back before the two turned and walked back into their building. 

* * *

“Henry’s upset with me.” Josie said bluntly just as soon as the door shut behind the two men. Anne looked up from the book she had barely gotten open and promptly shut it again. 

“What do you mean? Did you two fight while we were gone?” She asked, and Josie huffed, setting her head in her hands. 

“No, not really.” She said with a heavy sigh. “He asked me if I was upset by the kiss we shared the other night and it caught me off guard, and I’m afraid I didn’t answer it as well as I could have.” She said, voice muffled by her hands. 

“Wait, you haven’t talked with him about that yet?” Anne asked in disbelief. Josie groaned, lifting her head. 

“What am I supposed to say? ‘Hi, honey, I’m sorry I quite literally threw myself at you, I’ll try to not do it again’?” Josie said, throwing her hands in the air and looking to her friend as if she were begging her to give her a solution to the issue that had been weighing heavily on her all week. 

“Why do you think you have anything to apologize for? If you don’t think that Henry enjoyed every second of that kiss and wouldn’t eat his left shoe to do it again, then you’re an idiot.” Anne said with a snort. 

“So I’ve been told.” Josie grumbled, hiding her face once more. “He told me tonight that it was okay if I felt the same way about him as he does me, what on earth is that supposed to mean?” 

Anne sighed, wanting to hit her dearly loved friend over the head with a rock for her stubborn refusal to see what was right in front of her. She had tried to be subtle, but it seemed like blunt force was going to have to be used to get through to her. 

“It means you have a crush on Henry, and he knows that you do.” Anne said, staring her friend down even once she lifted her head, looking as if she were ready to fight about it. Anne held up her hand, shaking her head. “Just listen to me, will you?” 

“Fine, I’m listening.” Josie huffed, a dark expression on her face. 

“Are you happy with Henry right now?” Anne asked, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“What do you mean, am I happy right now?” Josie scoffed. Anne rolled her eyes, wanting to smack her friend. 

“If nothing changed from where you two are, could you live the rest of your life like that and at the end of it all say that you were content?” Anne said, raising an eyebrow at her friend. “And before you answer, let me remind you that you’re in a sexless marriage where you’re a somewhat close friend with your spouse on a good day, and you sleep with a pillow wall between the two of you.” 

“Wow, thanks for making my marriage seem like a sham, Anne. You’re really making me feel better, you’ll definitely win the ‘Friend of the Year’ award for this advice.” Josie spat, standing up from the couch to pace back and forth. 

“I just want for you to be as happy as possible, Josie.” She said with a sigh. Her friend huffed, rubbing at her temples as if she had a headache. After a moment her shoulders drooped and her pacing stopped, her hard exterior dropping to reveal the vulnerable young woman underneath it.

“I do too, Anne. It’s not like I’m trying to be miserable.” She said, her voice quiet. “But I just don’t know how to let myself trust him like that, not after what Billy did to me. If you want to admit it, then fine I will. I have feelings for Henry, but I don’t even know how to begin to _tell_ him-” 

She stopped talking when the front door opened, revealing Henry and Gilbert. Anne met Gilbert’s eyes, watching him for an almost imperceptible nod that confirmed that his conversation with Henry was exactly as she expected it to be. Josie, on the other hand, looked anywhere but where Henry was, keeping her head down as he took off his coat and hung it up on the hook by the door. 

“I’m going to bed,” He said softly as he made his way over to where Josie was standing, hesitating for a half second before he leaned down to brush a gentle kiss to her cheek. “Goodnight, little mouse.” 

With that he went into his and Josie’s bedroom, the door shutting with a soft _click_ behind him, leaving Josie standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, her cheeks stained pink from the kiss goodnight. Anne bit her lower lip, her eyes meeting Gilbert’s once more. Without a word he simply nodded, crossing the room to kiss her gently before he followed Henry’s lead and disappeared into his bedroom, leaving Anne and Josie alone once more. 

Anne made her way over to where her friend was standing, gently reaching out to grab her arm. 

“Let’s sit down, alright?” She said, giving her arm a gentle squeeze. Josie nodded numbly, letting herself be led to the couch where the two women settled down, sitting in silence for a moment before Anne spoke up again. “I know you aren’t good at verbalizing what you’re feeling, Josie. You and Diana are the same in that way, you’ve been raised to project what people want you to feel, not what you actually feel. But Josie, all Henry wants is the truth, and it’s something that he would be ecstatic about and something _you_ should be ecstatic about. You have a man who would catch the stars for you, if you asked it of him, and he would ask for nothing in return. He’s a completely different breed than Billy, and I know you’re scared that it’ll end up the same but I can promise you that if you let him in, then only beautiful things will come from it.” 

“It isn’t that simple, Anne.” She said with a heavy sigh, keeping her head down so Anne wouldn’t see the tears brimming in her eyes. 

“I know it isn’t,” Anne said, setting a hand on her knee. “I know it isn’t the same, but I struggled a lot to let Gilbert in, too. I spent _years_ thinking that I wasn’t worthy of him, because all I had been told for my entire life was that I wasn’t worth anything. So when I realized that he might see something worth loving inside of me, I denied it until I was blue in the face.” 

“It didn’t help that the brats you went to school with told you that he was off limits.” Josie said with a snort, pulling a laugh from Anne. 

“Very true, but I ended up with his ring on my finger so I suppose I’m the one getting the last laugh.” She said, giving her knee another squeeze before she continued.

“My point is that I had to learn that I deserve to be loved, and that I’m the only one who can tell me what I’m worth. I’m worthy of happiness, and I’m worthy of being loved. And so are you. You deserve to be happy, Josie, no matter what you’ve been told to believe to be true. You deserved to be loved, and to love, and you have a man in the other room that is worthy of both. I know it’s scary, but you just have to be willing to make that first step, and you don’t have to do it alone. I’m here to hold your hand, and Henry is going to be there to catch you every single time you feel like you’re falling.” 

When she finished her speech quiet settled over the room, and after a moment the sound of quiet hiccups met Anne’s ears. She cooed softly, wrapping an arm around Josie’s shoulders to pull her into an embrace. 

“I-I want t-that, A-Anne.” She stammered after a minute or two of crying, the tears cathartic for all of the pent up emotion inside of her. “And I want to be happy with him _._ From the moment we started sending letters I knew that I wanted to be with Henry, b-but I just don’t know how. I feel too broken to be what he needs, and I don’t even know where to begin telling him all of this, let alone _how_ I would say it.” 

Anne smiled softly, squeezing her friend gently. “You could always write him a letter, I find that I’m able to talk about my feelings much more easily when it's just a stream of consciousness. Perhaps you could give that a try?” 

Josie lifted her head then, quickly trying to wipe away all of the tears before Anne could see them even though it was her shoulder that she had been crying on. 

“I’m willing to try anything at this point.” She said, her voice sounding small. With a feeling of hope in her chest, Anne stood and quickly went to Gilbert’s bedroom, slipping inside to find him reading on the bed. 

“Everything alright?” He asked quietly, and Anne looked up at him as she rummaged through his desk, giving him a bright smile as she nodded. 

“I was able to make a breakthrough with her, I’m hoping that this will be a turning point.” She said, grabbing a few pieces of paper and a pencil for Josie as Gilbert sighed with relief. 

“I hope so too, Henry was incredibly discouraged when we talked earlier, and it kills me to see him that way.” He said. Anne nodded in agreement, making a quick detour to Gilbert’s bedside to give him a quick kiss. 

“Hopefully after tonight things will be looking up for the Tremblays.” She said optimistically, giving him one last kiss before she took a deep breath and made her way back to the living room, hoping and praying that she was right. 

* * *

_May 3, 1901_

_My Dearest Anne,_

_I don’t know what you said in your little talk with Josie, but whatever you told her seemed to have urged her to clear the air with Henry. While I’m glad that they have sorted everything out, there seems to have been an unintended consequence of their reconciliation: those two are absolute fiends now. They have a bedroom of their own that gives them all of the privacy that they could ever want or need, yet I have walked into the common area not once, not twice, but_ _three_ _times this week and caught them in the middle of them kissing the daylights out of the other. Once, Henry even knew I was in the room and still kissed her as if he hadn’t seen her in twenty years, all because she came home from tea with the church ladies and he had “missed her”. Can you believe it?! I don’t even recognize him anymore, it's as if he has no sense of modesty at all!_

_I suppose I could be the modest one here, in truth there isn’t anything overly scandalous about anything they’ve been doing. Really, seeing as they are married and have been married for nearly four months now, what I’ve caught them doing is incredibly tame compared to what married folk can do, but for them to go from barely sleeping in the same room together to kissing like fools all the time is driving me to my wits end. (The other day Henry even had a love bite, can you believe it!? He didn’t take too kindly to me teasing him by asking what it was, it pains me to say. I think my ribs might still be bruised a little bit from that particular interaction.)_

_Anyways, I guess some good is coming from their affection, Josie seems a great deal happier now than she did before, I dare say she’s a bit of a flirt. Never in my life would I think I would say this: but the other day I heard Josie Pye (Tremblay)_ _giggle._ _It was the queerest sound I’ve ever heard, and I wish that I hadn’t heard the comment from Henry that drew it out of her. (And before you ask, no, I will not be sharing that tidbit with you. It was disgustingly cheesy, Henry didn’t realize that I was in the room when he said it and was as red as a tomato for the rest of the afternoon when he realized that I had heard it.)_

_It almost feels like I shouldn’t be in the room sometimes, like those two are in their own little world that I don’t feel right encroaching upon. Seeing them reminds me all too well of when I first fell in love with you, that blissful summer before we went off to college. How many stolen kisses did we share? How many flirty looks and quick touches (innocent ones, mostly) did we exchange in those precious months during the very beginning of our relationship? I often wish that I could go backwards in time to relive those moments. Everything was simpler then, don’t you agree? When we were young and just learning how to love each other, I was so nervous all of the time, can you believe it? I could hardly believe that I had convinced you to give me the time of day, and I spent every waking moment trying to prove myself worthy of the time and attention you gave to me. I wanted to be a good man for you, and to this day I still wake up every morning with the challenge of being the man and husband worthy of your affections. As nauseating as the Tremblays are, they make me feel nostalgic- and a little jealous that you aren’t here so that I can make you giggle and blush with disgustingly loving comments all hours of the day._

_I promise that one day we’ll have a house of our own and that it will always be filled with love and laughter. Not a minute will go by without affection being shared, and the walls will be bursting with the happiness and joy that we will make. These are hard days being apart, my sweet girl, and I hate being apart just as much, if not more than you do, but we must remember that this is only a blip on the timeline of our lives. I’m excited and expectant of what this life we will build together will bring, Anne-girl, I know that it will all be worth it._

_Your Loving and Devoted Husband,_

_Gilbert_

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading <3 I love hearing from you guys (and being reassured that this timeline isn't a complete mess lol) this story is an absolute beast at this point, so thank you to everyone who has stuck around on this journey, it means the world to me.


	19. Nineteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this update, my laptop charger decided it didn't want to work anymore and it took a few days to get a replacement, I hope this fluffy chapter makes up for it!

**May 1901**

After five weeks of separation that was preceded by three whole months of being apart, Anne was back in her favorite spot in the whole wide world: Gilbert’s arms. 

“We did it.” She said quietly into the fabric of his waistcoat as they hugged on the train station platform. 

“Yes we did, my sweet girl.” Gilbert chuckled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. If he had been feeling more cynical he could have added,  _ now only two more years of this madness before you’re done with school _ , but he left that unsaid in favor of basking in the glorious feeling of being back home with his wife. 

Anne was his  _ wife.  _

Though they had been married for five months, it was still something he struggled to get his mind around, the cognitive dissonance only made worse by their separation. It was hard to come to terms with the change since they spent so much time apart, but whenever he remembered that Anne was no longer his sweetheart, or his fiancee, but his  _ wife _ , it filled him with joy and pride that he had never felt before. 

Of course things had not turned out the way they had planned for them to go, that was something they all knew good and well, but that didn’t change the fact that there were still good moves to be made from the hand they had been dealt. Gone were the days of sneaking around or having to comply with a chaperone’s rules, if they wanted to go somewhere, they could. If he wanted to kiss her square on the mouth in the middle of everyone, though it would likely draw some curious and scandalized looks, no one would be able to stop him or say he had been doing anything wrong. Best of all, for three glorious, blissful months, he would get to fall asleep beside his beautiful girl every single night and no one could tell him not to. 

There was one thing that he was positively sure of: it was going to be a very, very good summer. 

“Alright, enough canoodling over there, remember you’re still in polite company” Bash said, breaking up their reunion and bringing both of them back to the present. Gilbert was unable to wipe the smile from his face as he pulled away from the embrace, dropping a quick kiss to Anne’s lips before he picked up his suitcase and tugged her along to where Bash was standing a few feet away. He dropped Anne’s hand to hug his brother, patting him on the back a few times. 

“Everything alright at home?” He asked, his eyebrows raising lightly, silently asking a deeper question. Bash’s usually jovial expression dropped into something much more serious for a half second as he nodded. 

“Same as always, no problems, just people wanting to be difficult.” He said, keeping his voice low so that Anne couldn’t hear the conversation. Though Anne was no stranger to the prejudice her family faced in Avonlea, Gilbert did his best to keep her away from the grittier details of it all unless it was absolutely necessary. She was an idealist with a soft heart and a fiery spirit, if she knew of every injustice Bash, Elijah, Hazel, and Delphine faced in their day to day lives living in Avonlea, she would go on a rampage that would probably only make matters worse for them. Gilbert loved Anne and her heart for seeking justice for those who were denied it, but she also was very much a:  _ action now, think later  _ type of person and it got her in trouble more than was good for her. 

“Good, I’m glad to hear that.” Gilbert said with a nod, patting Bash once more on the shoulder before stepping back, taking Anne’s hand back in his, smiling at his little family. “Shall we?” 

With that they were off towards the orchard, squeezed together on the bench of the wagon, and though Bash initially complained about the display of affection, his whining did nothing to stop Gilbert from keeping a possessive hand over Anne’s knee the entire ride home. Anne ignored his complaints as well, resting her head on his shoulder and her hand on his forearm, cuddling him close as they travelled down the road. 

“I’m sure you’ll want to rest when we get home, won’t you?” Anne asked quietly, tilting her head upwards to look at him. Gilbert chuckled, nodding once.

“I definitely think that a short nap is in order before dinner. My bad luck struck once again, there was a colicky baby on the train from Toronto to my stop in Nova Scotia. Poor thing screamed the whole way.” He said with a chuckle, his head still pounding slightly from the unending screaming from the small infant. 

“With how many screaming babies you encounter on the journey to Toronto, you should know how to do a good swaddle. I’ll teach you sometime this summer so you’ll be ready when you go back in September. You’ll probably be looked at like you’ve grown two heads when you offer to swaddle the baby, but I’m sure the whole train will thank you if it soothes the fussy thing.” Anne said, a look of determination in her eye that told Gilbert that he would be receiving lessons regardless of if he wanted them or not. Instead of putting up a protest he simply pressed a kiss to Anne’s brow, squeezing her knee. 

“That sounds like a lovely plan, dear.” He said with a laugh that tapered into a yawn, exhaustion from the train making him feel as if he had been hit by the multiple trains he had just spent the better part of a day on. 

“And I hope you don’t mind that I invited everyone at Green Gables over for dinner, I figured it would only be proper to have a big family meal since we didn’t get to share one after we were married.” She said, her voice tinged with melancholy as she thought back on the tumultuous events of Christmas break. Though Anne had visited home once during the semester, Gilbert had not and he was curious as to what sort of reaction they would get for their reappearance. He prayed that he would not run into Billy Andrews at all while he was home, he had been furious the night of the Panto when he beat the stew out of him, but after five months of sharing a wall with Josie and being woken up many nights to the sound of crying and shouts of terror from her frequent nightmares filtering through the thin walls, Gilbert had no doubt in his mind that he would beat the man’s face in if he were to see it again. He had brought a lifetime’s worth of undue stress to some of the people he held most dear to him, and Gilbert wanted nothing more than to make him pay for it. 

“Gilbert?” Anne said, squeezing his arm lightly, bringing him away from his murderous thoughts back to the present. He looked down to her, no doubt wearing a very confused look on his face. Anne just giggled, pressing a light kiss to the curve of his jaw. “Where did you go just now? It looked as if you weren’t even on the planet.” 

“Just tired is all, sweetheart.” He said with a soft smile and a loud yawn that further proved his point. Anne hummed, raising an eyebrow up at him in a way that suggested that she didn’t believe him. He ignored it, clearing his throat as the house came into view, filling him with the comforting feeling of being home and a sense of buoyancy that he had not properly felt in months. “But a family dinner sounds excellent.” 

Anne beamed up at him then, drawing him into a kiss that sent the blood in his veins into a low simmer, his exhaustion preventing him from truly enjoying his wife’s touch. Of course, it was nothing a short nap wouldn’t fix. 

A pointed cough was what prompted them to break the kiss, the young couple blushing as they looked sheepishly to where Bash was sitting beside them, a grumpy look on his face. 

“Just because you two are married now doesn’t mean you get to behave like animals, you hear me? Remember that there are four other people in this house that don’t want to see or hear you two being all lovey dovey all hours of the day, understood?” He said, looking as if he knew that his warning would only be so effective. He was all too aware of what Anne and Gilbert were like before they were married, he had been a mix of ignorant and complicit in their trysts. Though he had not (and would not) mention it to either of them, he had spent many nights in the aftermath of the panto wondering if he could have prevented all of the trouble by not being so passive in the first place. Though at the end of the day he knew that he could not blame himself for the hardship his friends had gone through, it was hard to come to terms with all that had happened and he wasn’t the only one in their inner circle that had combed their brain wondering what they could have done differently. 

“You forget that I lived with you and Mary when you two were first married, I don’t believe you have any room to judge, Mr. Lacroix.” Gilbert said with a snort, feeling victorious when Bash blushed at the comment. 

“But we will be courteous of those around us, won’t we, Gilbert?” Anne said, giving him a pointed look as her cheeks went pink as well at the thought of their family hearing any of their private business. 

“Of course we will.” He said with a nod, giving her knee one last squeeze as they came to a stop in front of the house, getting down from the wagon before offering a hand to help Anne out as well. 

After what seemed like an eternity of pleasantries and hugs from Hazel, Dellie, and Elijah, Gilbert and Anne were finally able to make their way up the stairs to their bedroom. With little fanfare Gilbert kicked off his shoes and stripped off his jacket and waistcoat before falling into bed still dressed. 

“Don’t you think you’ll be more comfortable in a nightshirt?” Anne asked with a laugh, setting her hands on her hips. Gilbert shook his head as he burrowed underneath the blankets. 

“The only thing that will make me more comfortable is if I had my beautiful wife next to me.” He replied, voice muffled by the quilts. Not one to turn down a chance to cuddle with him Anne made quick work of taking off her own shoes and climbing into bed, fitting herself into the cradle of Gilbert’s arms like she had never even left them in the first place. He squeezed her tightly, burying his face into the crook of her neck, breathing in the familiar smell of soap and lavender. 

“I love you, Anne-girl.” He mumbled, already halfway to unconsciousness. 

“I love you too, Gil.” Anne said, pressing a soft kiss to his mop of curls. “Now rest.” 

He didn’t need to be told twice. 

* * *

**August 1901**

Their wedding was everything they should have had in the first place. 

Anne almost cried a thousand times over throughout the day, from the joyful morning she spent surrounded by her dearest friends, to the feast Rachel, Marilla, and Hazel had spent days laboring over, to the beautiful decorations all of the boys had put up in the orchard to transform the already beautiful place into the stuff of dreams. 

Though she had almost cried a thousand times, there were several moments that actually had made the tears fall. 

The first was only moments after she had woken up the morning of the wedding, at first alarmed that when she reached for Gilbert she was met with an empty bed. She sat up with a loud yawn, looking around the room for him, only to find him kneeling on the ground by her side of the bed, her wedding ring in his hands. 

“Gil, what are you-” She asked, her sleep addled mind struggling to make sense of the odd situation that she had woken up to. 

“Anne Shirley-Cuthbert,” He said, using the name she hadn’t gone by in close to eight months. “From the moment I met you, I knew that you were going to turn my whole world upside down, and that has proved to be true. I was hopelessly enamored with you from that day and every day since. You are the love of my life, the missing piece to my soul, my life mate and best friend. Having your heart and affections is an honor I have never taken lightly, and I vow to spend the rest of my life ensuring that I am a man worthy of that honor. Will you marry me?” 

When Gilbert had proposed the first time she had cried the entire time, but they were not tears of joy or happiness at all. She had been crying tears of pain and heartbreak that what should have been a beautiful moment had been torn from her hands with no warning at all. When Gilbert proposed to her a second time eight months after she officially became Mrs. Blythe, she cried the tears of joy that she should have had all along. 

“Oh Gil,” She said with a watery laugh, reaching out to lovingly stroke his cheek with one hand while she wiped her tears away with the other. “Of course I’ll marry you.” 

He beamed at her then, sliding the ring back onto her left hand where it belonged before pulling her into a kiss, settling himself over her while she tangled her fingers in his hair. She giggled into the kiss, wrapping her legs around his waist to hold him close to her when he tried to pull away. 

“We need to get ready, sweetheart. It’s a big day, lots to do.” Gilbert chuckled against her lips when her hands found the bottom of his shirt, tugging it upwards in an attempt to get it over his head. 

“Is this not on the list of things that need to be done?” She asked, her lower lip poking out in a small pout. Gilbert grinned at her, shaking his head as he dropped one last kiss to her lips. 

“Oh it is, don’t you worry about that. I just figured that the wedding night should happen at night, funny enough.” He said as he extracted himself from her grip. She huffed, sitting up in bed to cross her arms over her chest. 

“I think that there could be a wedding morning  _ and  _ a wedding night. Perhaps a wedding afternoon, as well.” She said, earning a loud laugh from Gilbert, who was finishing tucking in his shirt from where Anne had previously pulled it out. 

“I’m glad you think so highly of my stamina, Anne-girl.” He said, pulling on his waistcoat to finish getting dressed for the day. “But I’m afraid you’ll just have to wait until tonight, then I’m all yours.” 

Anne simply huffed as she got up from bed and dressed quickly. She didn’t waste time putting too much effort into her appearance seeing as how she would be bathing and getting ready with the girls shortly after breakfast. Her annoyance didn’t last long before she looked down at the ring on her hand and was reminded of the romantic gesture she had woken up to, which made her heart melt in her chest all over again. She caught Gilbert just as he was reaching for the doorknob and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her front to his back. 

“You didn’t have to do that just now, Gilbert.” She said softly, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. “I mean, we’re already married. You didn’t have to propose again, but you did. Thank you.” 

Gilbert turned around gently in her arms, catching her chin in a light grip to tilt her head upwards at him. “I love you, Anne Blythe. This day is for you, it's what you should have had all along.” 

“All I want is you, Gilbert Blythe, everything else is just extra.” She said, pressing up on her toes to give him a slow kiss before they reluctantly parted and headed downstairs to eat breakfast. 

(While they were eating Anne announced that Gilbert had proposed, only to receive curious looks from everyone else. 

“I thought it would be nice to do it without any sort of pressure on us.” Gilbert explained, only having eyes for Anne as he gave her a dopey grin.

“I thought it was very romantic to wake up to Gilbert down on one knee.” Anne said dreamily, returning the grin to her husband as she reached out to grab his hand lightly. Across the table Josie simply rolled her eyes at the sappy display, turning to her own husband with a mock-snooty look on her face. 

“You didn’t get down on a knee when you proposed to me.” She said sassily, turning her nose up to him. Henry hid his snort behind her mug of coffee, raising an eyebrow at his wife. 

“Forgive me for not putting myself in a position that you could easily kick me in the head,” He said, elbowing her lightly with a playful grin. “And you still said yes, didn’t you?” 

Josie huffed, taking a small bite of her toast. “I don’t like you very much.” 

Henry simply shook his head at the blonde woman, nudging her foot lightly with his underneath the table. What he wanted to say in response to her aloof attitude was,  _ you seemed to like me very much last night _ , but knowing that would surely end up with bodily harm being inflicted upon him, he settled on: “Whatever you say, darling.”) 

The second time Anne cried was when she stood in front of the full length mirror in her bedroom, fully dressed and done up after hours of laughing and gossiping with Diana, Ruby, and Josie. 

“Oh my,” She gasped as she took in her own reflection, her heart skipping in her chest at the sight. 

“Are you alright, Anne?” Diana asked, her eyebrows knitted together in concern as she set a hand on her arm. Anne nodded, biting down on her lip as a tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. 

“No, no, everything is perfect.” She said quietly, taking the handkerchief that Ruby held out for her, dabbing at her eyes so that she wouldn't ruin the powder and rouge that had been delicately applied to her face. “It’s just that… girls, I look like a  _ bride _ .” 

It was true, though she was not wearing white- she knew better than to test the limits of what the town could handle- her cream day dress was still the stuff of dreams. Marilla and Rachel had really outdone themselves, spending hours stitching in delicate lace and robins egg blue appliques to the gauzy fabric. It was light and flowy and everything she could have imagined and more. It was only made better by the swept back up-do Diana had done on her, her hair only more vivid and bright against the pale fabric, and for the first time in her life she didn’t seem to mind at all about her otherwise unfortunate hair color. While she longed to wear Marilla’s veil, unfortunately it was too impractical for walking around the orchard all afternoon, but Anne knew that one day she would get the opportunity to see it on her own daughter, should she have one, and that made the lingering disappointment fade away completely. In lieu of a veil, she had opted for a crown of delicate white blossoms and greenery, making her look like some sort of forest spirit. 

Anne had spent most of her life thinking that she was homely and plain looking, but in that moment, standing there in her wedding dress, she felt nothing short of beautiful. 

She was on the brink of crying again when she was surrounded by all of her friends in a tight hug, which was what sent her over the edge into another round of tears. Luckily, the tears didn’t last for long before Marilla came to send the girls down to the party so Anne could make her entrance with her parents a few minutes later, forcing them to wipe their eyes and pull themselves together. 

Unfortunately for Anne, the moment she walked into the orchard a half hour later, she started crying for a third time. While the boys had certainly done a good job decorating the area, what overwhelmed her so greatly was not the ribbons and flowers, but her loved ones all gathered together to celebrate her and Gilbert. The love and joy that she felt simply being in their presence was enough to bring her to tears, and all of the pain that she had felt from the beginning of their marriages faded away in an instant. It was everything she had dreamed of since she was a little girl, and more, and she was not going to take it for granted for even a single moment. 

Gilbert was the first one who made it to her once she made her appearance, pulling her into his arms and dipping her down low before capturing her lips in a passionate kiss that made her head spin. Though she heard a few cheers and cat calls at the brazen display of affection, she didn’t pay much attention to them, too enraptured with her husband to care about their teasing. He could have been kissing her for a few seconds or a few days, she had no way of being sure when Gilbert finally pulled away, setting her back upright with a goofy smile on his face. 

“My God, Anne, you look stunning.” He said, setting his hands on her shoulders so he could hold her at an arm’s length and get a good look at her. She giggled when he took her hand and made her do a twirl, taking in the entirety of her outfit before he pulled her into another kiss. 

“You’re stunning.” He repeated, cupping her cheek gently in his hand. 

“You already said that.” She said with a light laugh, laughing harder when Gilbert waved off her comment. 

“And I’ll likely say it again a million times over before the day is done with. You look so beautiful, Anne.” He said, and she smiled up at him, pulling him down into one last quick kiss before she forced herself to take a step back, letting Marilla take over and officially begin the party. 

If anyone asked Anne, she would say that the afternoon was a smashing success. It was not a fancy affair by any means, but they enjoyed good food, an even better cake, a few speeches from Bash and Matthew that had everyone in tears, and even Aunt Jo was goaded into doing a recitation that had Anne nearly crying for what seemed like the millionth time that day. While the afternoon spent with everyone was certainly filled with fun, what put the frosting on the cake was what happened when the sun went down and the older folk went home. 

“Alright everyone,” Anne said with a conspiratorial smile as she pulled Gilbert, Josie, Henry, Diana, Fred Wright, Moody, Ruby, and Jerry aside. “Gilbert and I have acquired five bottles of moonshine and they’re waiting for us in the barn, out of fear of ruining this dress I’m going to go change quickly, but once I get back I expect to have a lot of catching up to do.” 

Her friend broke out into laughter at that and Anne rushed back to the house with Ruby, Josie, and Diana to change out of their nice dresses and into the clothes they had worn that morning to get ready. The men, on the other hand, shucked off their coats and rolled up their sleeves before setting about getting lanterns lit and space cleared out for dancing. In the middle of doing that they followed Anne’s directions to start drinking, and between the five of them they had downed half of one of the bottles by the time the women made it back to the barn. 

“Good lord, I was joking you guys!” Anne exclaimed when she saw the damage that had been done, scoffing in disbelief as Moody and Jerry fiddled with their instruments. 

“Blame Jerry, he was very heavy handed with the shots.” Gilbert laughed, pressing the bottle into Anne’s hand as he slung an arm around her waist. “You ladies are all about three behind us, if you would like to catch up.” 

With a snort and a roll of her eyes she took a healthy chug from the bottle before passing it off, wrapping her arms around his waist as Jerry and Moody started playing a tune. 

“May I have this dance, Mr. Blythe?” Anne asked, the moonshine already making her feel warm and pliable in his embrace. Gilbert smiled down at her, leaning in to give her a slow kiss. 

“You may, Mrs. Blythe.” 

With that he drew her in closer, and surrounded by their closest friends they began to dance the night away. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading guys, only a few chapters left now! See ya next time! 
> 
> (Also since it's been a while since I mentioned this, but I'm on twitter! Follow me @orayofsunshine if you'd like!)


	20. Twenty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone can say thank you to Heather for this chapter, because she was the one who was like "MORE WEDDING MORE WEDDING MORE WEDDING" and I, being nothing more than a monkey with a keyboard, had to oblige her. (seriously though this fic would not be half of what it is without her, thanks for being awesome, friend!)

**August 1901**

“Has anyone else noticed that Ruby and Moody have mysteriously disappeared?” Anne giggled as she twirled around the barn with Diana, dancing completely off beat of the music. The party had gotten significantly livelier when a few of Jerry’s older siblings and friends from the Acadian settlement had shown up, bringing along a few bottles of wine and more instruments to keep the music going all night long. 

“They’re up in the hay loft, surely going against their statement that they were going to be pure and chaste until they’re married.” Diana whispered, her cheeks flushed from the alcohol they had consumed throughout the night. Anne joined in on the laughter, setting her head down on her friend’s shoulder. 

“I’m just jealous, I wish I had thought to pull Fred away before they had claimed the spot.” Diana tittered, earning herself a scandalized gasp from Anne. 

“You harlot!” She said, hiccuping slightly as she lifted her head from her shoulder. “What would your dear mother think if she knew you were scurrying off to dark corners with your beau?”

“My mother has been watching us like a hawk our entire courtship making sure we don’t have a single moment to sneak around. Even so, we haven’t done anything more than steal a few kisses here and there, and it will probably remain that way until we’re married. I’m just hoping he’ll propose sooner rather than later so that we don’t have to wait.” Diana said with a roll of her eyes, glancing over to where Fred was talking with Gilbert, a bottle of moonshine going back and forth between the two men. 

Anne, giggly and far too into her cups to think about what was proper behavior and what was not, decided to remedy Diana’s problem in that moment by clearing her throat and shouting across the barn, “Hey Fred, propose already!” 

“My God, Anne!” Diana shrieked, losing her balance in shock, causing both of them to tumble to the ground in a heap. The music stopped abruptly as everyone looked to the two women with concern on all of their faces, only for them to relax when they burst into laughter, their significant others quickly pulling them up off of the ground and dusting them off. 

“Don’t worry Anne,” Fred said with a grin, leaning in to stage whisper, “It’ll be done before the year is out.” 

Whether or not he had meant for Diana to hear his comment, it was clear that she had when she burst into giddy laughter, clutching onto him tightly as she pulled him down for a quick kiss. Anne just beamed at her best friend and beau, the wedding bells nearly audible as she watched them giggle and whisper. 

“Are you alright, Anne?” Gilbert asked, pulling her attention away from the other couple as the music started back up once more. She stumbled slightly when she rounded on him, blinking a couple times to regain her focus as she looked up at Gilbert. 

“I’m great!” She said cheerfully. “A little thirsty from all of the dancing, I think I need some more shine.” 

“Usually I would try to advocate for more water and less shine at this point, but I know we’re all going to be worse off than the dead tomorrow anyways, so I suppose I can’t stop you from drinking more.” Gilbert responded with a chuckle, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her aside as he reached for the closest bottle to pass on to her. She gladly accepted it and took a few healthy swallows, the sharp taste dulled greatly from the quantity she had already drank. 

“Care to lose another bet, Gilbert?” Henry asked as he and Josie made their way over to where they were standing, both red faced and sweating from all of the dancing. They had hardly left the other’s arms all night, and it had surprised just about everyone to find out that Henry was surprisingly light on his feet for such a broad man. 

“Oh hush, you.” Josie said, pinching him lightly on the arm. “I was too hungover to fuss at you in the moment, but don’t you think for a moment that I was happy that you two bet on Anne and I.” 

“I don’t know why you’re upset with me, my winnings bought you pounds upon pounds of fudge. In fact, I think you should be thanking me!” Henry teased, giving her a lopsided grin. Josie looked wholly unamused by his comment and instead pulled the bottle from Anne’s hand, taking a large swig before passing it off to Henry, who took a drink of his own. 

“If you two must bet on us, at least do it while we aren’t standing right here. I would hate to accidentally sway any wagers you make.” Anne said, looping her arm through Josie’s to tug her back into the fray of dancers. Only once they had twirled away from their husbands did they dissolve into giggles, too drunk to take themselves or anything else seriously. 

“Those two are ridiculous,” Anne said as they danced around in circles. 

“I know, but we married them, so what does that say about us?” Josie responded with a giggle, leaning in until her forehead was pressed against Anne’s. 

“Maybe we’re more ridiculous than them.” She said, rubbing their noses together in an eskimo kiss. 

(Little did they know that their husbands were watching the interaction from the sidelines, thoroughly amused by the sight of Anne and Josie spinning in circles, giggling and rubbing their noses together like they were little girls.

“The only reason I’m not betting that one of us will be kicked out of our rooms for them to have a girl’s sleepover is because it’s my wedding night and I won’t let it happen.” Gilbert said with a snort, taking a sip from the jar before passing it to Henry, who laughed at the comment. 

“I won’t let it happen either, Jo’s wild when she’s drunk,” He said, pausing to take a long drink before he continued with a cheeky smile, the liquor obviously loosening the otherwise modest man’s lips. “And I like her when she’s a little wild.”

“That’s disgusting, Henry.” Gilbert groaned, shoving his friend lightly. 

Henry, barely moved by the shove, simply threw his head back and laughed at his friend’s discomfort.)

“You seem a great deal happier now than you did in April. I wasn’t lying the other day when I said that you were glowing.” Anne said after a moment, leaning away so that she could look Josie in the eye while they talked. She smiled sheepishly at the comment, glancing over her shoulder to where Henry was standing still watching on with a ghost of a smile on his face and a fond look in his eye. Her face felt as if it were on fire when he winked at her, and she was quick to hide her face in Anne’s shoulder. 

“I’m very happy.” She said a moment later, her voice muffled by Anne’s blouse. “He’s the best thing that has ever happened to me.” 

“He loves you.” Anne said, twisting a strand of Josie’s hair absentmindedly around her finger. 

“I know,” She said. “He’s an incredible man, the best I’ve ever known, actually. He’s been so patient with me the entire time we’ve been married, and I know it wasn’t easy for him at first. We haven’t done it all yet, but I’m almost there, and once I am I know that I’ll be done for. I want to make so many babies with that man.” 

Anne squealed at her confession, tugging lightly on her hair to make her lift her head so that she could look at her. “Oh Josie, you need to tell me the moment it happens. I’ll probably burst with excitement. I’ve been rooting for you two this entire time, you know. Even when Henry was pursuing you I hoped you’d make it to this point.” 

Josie snorted, raising an eyebrow at her friend. “I’m sorry to break it to you Anne, but I don’t think the first thing on my mind after we do it will be to write you a letter. And what would I even say? ‘My Dearest Anne, I’d like to let you know that Henry lost his virginity this evening, we never thought this day would arrive. Please join us in celebrating this momentous occasion.’ Now, it pains me to say this, but I think he might object to me sending you anything of that sort.” 

Anne dissolved into a fit of giggles at the joking statement, letting her head fall backwards as they continued to spin around the room. The song came to an end a moment later, and the two women separated to applaud the musicians, who showed their gratitude with large, dramatic bows. Before the next song could start up Diana materialized from the other dancers and tugged on their sleeves to get their attention, pointing to the corner of the barn where Moody and Ruby were coming down from the hayloft, red faced and rumpled. 

“What rascals!” Josie tittered, clutching onto her friend’s as she stumbled slightly on her feet. 

“I was telling Anne a moment ago that I was jealous they had thought of it before I did!” Diana said as the trio moved across the room towards Ruby. 

“Don’t worry, if privacy is what you want I can tell you all of the good spots Gilbert and I used before we got married.” Anne giggled. 

“And what spots do you use now that you’re married?” Diana asked, leaning in with a mischievous look in her eye. 

“Why, the bed of course!” Anne said with a laugh, earning guffaws from her friends as they finally made it to where Ruby was standing. 

“And how is your evening going, Miss Gillis?” Josie asked, raising an eyebrow at the blonde woman, who blushed bright pink at the inquiry. 

“Quite well, thank you.” She said bashfully, grabbing the closest bottle of moonshine and taking a drink to hide her embarrassment. 

With all of the talks of beaus and stolen moments, mixed with the healthy amount of booze that had all of their inhibitions lowered, Anne was struck with a quite wonderful idea that would serve both her and all of her friend’s interests quite well. 

“Ladies, I think it might be an excellent time to play a game, wouldn’t you agree?” Anne said, pulling all of them into a huddle as she explained her plan. 

(Across the barn, Moody, Fred, Henry and Gilbert noticed their significant others putting their heads together. Knowing that what would follow would probably be nothing but trouble, the four men poured generous shots and held them up together. 

“To the women that drive us crazy,” Fred said. “May their schemes not leave us maimed, poor, or run out of town.” 

With that they tapped their glasses together and downed their drinks, praying that the toast would prove to be true.) 

After explaining her plot, Anne surveyed her friend’s expressions to see their interests in her brilliant idea. All around her she saw looks of delight and excitement, which cemented in her head that the plan was one that would be enjoyed by everyone. 

“Oh, Anne, that’s a lovely idea!” Ruby squealed, gripping onto her arm as she bounced excitably. 

“I’m glad you agree.” She said, her mischievous smile never leaving her face. “Now, why don’t we go see if our beaus agree with our little plan?” 

With that the gaggle of young women made their way across the space to where their significant others were anxiously waiting to hear what they were up to. 

“Gilbert,” Anne said as she took his hands into hers. “I think we have the rare opportunity to play the most exciting game of hide and seek that has ever been played. Just imagine it, when will this exact group of people all be in the same room together again? Probably never, I’d suspect. So we shouldn’t waste such an opportunity, don’t you think?” 

“Hide and seek?” Gilbert asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow at his wife. 

“Yes, hide and seek!” She said, squeezing his hands. 

“We would play in pairs, of course.” Diana said, cutting into the conversation. “I think it would be awfully irresponsible of you men if you just let us run around in the woods in the middle of the night. It only makes sense to be paired off.” 

The four men seemed to perk up at the mention of sneaking around the shadows of Gilbert’s land with their sweethearts, and without a second of hesitation they were calling Jerry and his siblings over to tell them the plan as well, and then the groups were setting out through the orchard, running off in separate directions to find their hiding spots. 

Anne and Gilbert, knowing the property like the back of their hands, set off towards an area of the orchard where they knew they were not likely to be found. They had spent a great deal of time there during their courtship, tucked away amongst the apple trees where they could indulge in the other’s touch without fear of being caught. While it was a good hiding spot, the young couple selfishly chose their spot for much more selfish reasons. It had served its purpose during their courtship, and they were determined to use it again for nostalgia’s sake. 

Naturally, all of the pairings were making good use of their time alone, but being the married couple they were allowed privileges that the other three pairs were not able to, which made them all the more hopeful that their spot wouldn’t be found. (Barring Henry and Josie, of course, who were welcome to do whatever they wanted and while there was certainly no shortage of intimate touches taking place in between them, it was not to the degree of their fellow married friends.) 

“I promised you we would make time for this, didn’t I?” Gilbert asked between rushed kisses as Anne’s hands scrambled to grab any part of him that she could, clutching onto his shoulders and back as he pressed her against a tree to kiss her silly. 

Anne, drunk on moonshine and lust, could do nothing more than nod as she worked to get his pants down, letting him hike up her skirts as they rolled their hips together. It was clumsy and frantic, the threat of being caught in such a position making the encounter that much more exciting. She gasped when he joined them together with one jerky thrust, groaning quietly as he buried his face into the curve of her neck, kissing and nipping at the spot right below her ear that always made her writhe with pleasure. 

“I love you, Gil.” Anne gasped, letting her head fall back against the tree that she was pressed against, clutching onto Gilbert to keep her steady as she balanced on one foot, having the other leg wrapped around her husband’s waist. 

“I love you too, Anne.” He said, nipping at her collarbone, pulling another loud moan from her lips, which only spurned him onward. 

They were both deliriously close to the precipice of pleasure, unable to do much more than gasp and rock clumsily against the other, when their coupling was brought to a complete stop by a bloodcurdling scream ringing through the night. 

“What on earth was that?” Gilbert asked, letting Anne’s leg fall from his grasp as he pulled away from where he had been marking up her neck. 

“I have no-” Anne started, her heart already pounding in her chest, only for it to get infinitely worse when another scream pierced through the air.

Without another word the two began sprinting back towards the barn, tugging their clothes back into place as they ran, stumbling through the dark as they ran as fast as their legs could carry them in their drunken state.

“Did you all hear that too?” Gilbert asked as they approached the barn, relief flooding them as they saw that all of their friends already congregated there. 

“Is everyone alright?” Anne added, chest heaving from exertion and adrenaline when they came to a stop. Upon a cursory glance, it appeared that all of their friends looked alright, though Anne couldn’t be sure from sight alone that all was well. 

“We’re all fine. It was us, I’m afraid to say,” Moody said, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. “Rubes and I were hiding down by the creek and we must have gotten too close to a beaver. It slapped its tail at us and scared the hell out of Ruby…” 

“Which explains the scream.” Anne said with a nod, the pieces fitting together in her mind. 

“I thought someone had been murdered and we would have to explain to the constable what we were doing out here.” Josie said with a snort. 

“I bet you’d be very eager to explain what _you_ were doing in the woods, Mrs. Tremblay.” Diana teased, calling attention to her tousled hair and blouse, which looked as if it had been hastily rebuttoned and as a result was done up wonky and lopsided. Josie scoffed, her face going pink at the insinuation. 

“I was with my _husband_ , Miss Barry. I’m sure the constable would be embarrassed to have intruded, now what would be your excuse for being alone in the woods with your intended?” She shot back, though there was no malice in her words, only playfulness. 

“It’s worth noting,” Henry interjected with an awkward cough before Diana could respond. “That Jo at least made herself decent, while Anne has her skirts caught up in her belt.” 

Anne’s face felt as if it were on fire as her hands went to her backside, feeling the soft fabric of her drawers rather than her skirt. She was quick to set herself right, letting her skirts fall back into place as she looked up to see all of her friends looking at her with varying degrees of horror or amusement. 

“It must have gotten stuck on a tree or something while I was running.” She lied quickly, smoothing her hands over her skirts. Predictably, none of her friends believed her. 

“Sure,” Fred said, elbowing Gilbert lightly in the side. “And I’m sure it was the same tree that undid Gilbert’s shirt clear down to his belly button!” 

It was then Gilbert’s turn to go a vivid shade of pink. He hastily fixed his shirt as his friends laughed at his expense, which for the record, was not as open as Fred had made it out to be. 

“Alright everyone, I think that’s enough excitement for now.” Anne grumbled, herding their friends back into the barn for more drinking, dancing, and debauchery before the night was over. That didn’t stop her from getting picked on by her friends, and Gilbert certainly had a few strong words to share with Henry for throwing him and Anne in front of the metaphorical train, though he defended himself by saying that everyone was drunk and he thought it was funny, though they all knew that if he had been sober he certainly would have been the most embarrassed one out of all of them. 

It was alright in the end, because Anne certainly got her revenge later that night when she and Gilbert were leaving the barn, only to find Henry and Josie caught in an embrace not far away from the barn. 

“Excuse me, Mr. Tremblay, I’m going to need your hands where I can see them!” She called out, holding up the lantern to illuminate the scene. Henry didn’t dignify the taunt with a response, too busy kissing his wife to be bothered, but he did comply with her request by moving his hand from where it had snuck under her skirts to hold her thigh around his waist, lifting it up in a rude hand gesture that had Anne and Gilbert laughing as they left the couple alone, drunkenly stumbling back to the farmhouse after what was undoubtedly one of the best days of their entire lives.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! See you guys next time!


	21. Twenty One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, new chapter! Just a warning, updates are going to be a little more spaced out, seeing as I start school again on Monday (only two semesters left, thank GOD) but I'm aiming to get this fic wrapped up in the next few weeks!

**August 1905**

Though she always loved being in Avonlea, after a week spent with her friends and family, Anne was more than ready to be back in Stepney Creek with Gilbert. She missed falling asleep next to him and waking up wrapped in his arms. She missed the way he hummed old working songs as they made breakfast and did the morning chores, and she missed the way he kissed her when he arrived home for the day, his touch light and soft as a cloud against her lips. 

Though she was excited to see him, she couldn’t deny that she was also slightly nervous to be home. They had agreed, upon her insistence, that they wait to tell their family and friends about her pregnancy. How was she going to tell him that everyone knew? She had entertained the idea of not telling him for a moment, but Josie had pinched her when she verbalized that particular thought and after that she was thoroughly convinced that hiding it was a bad idea. She was wrong to think of it in the first place, it was only fair that she tell him that she had spilled the beans, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t worried that he would be upset with her for telling everyone when he wasn’t there. The guilt had lingered on the periphery of her mind the entire week, prodding at her at night when she tried to sleep. She wouldn’t be able to stand herself if she disappointed him, but what had been done was done and she had no choice but to face the consequences of her actions when she told him. 

Anxiety was coiled tightly in her stomach as the train pulled into the station, and she tried to put on a brave face as she pulled her carpet bag down from the storage compartment and made her way off of the train, her eyes immediately landing on Gilbert. All of her nerves flew out of the window when she saw him, and she moved quickly through the crowd to embrace him, inhaling deeply to surround herself in his comforting scent. 

“How was your visit? How is everyone?” He asked, his words muffled by his face being buried in the crook of her neck. 

“Absolutely spectacular on both counts,” She said as she leaned away, stealing a quick kiss from him. “I’m happy to report that little Elaine McPherson is cute as a button. She’ll surely grow up and be just as radiant as her mother.” 

Gilbert chuckled, taking her bag from her and offering his arm, which she gladly took as they made their way out of the station. “I’m glad to hear that, I’ll have to write to Moody and send my congratulations. How are you feeling?” 

“Fine, a little tired if anything at all. Josie said that she was sick as a dog with all of hers starting from her second month, so I fear that my nausea free days are going to be coming to an end shortly.” She said, squeezing Gilbert’s arm tightly. “Though I barely felt sick when I was pregnant the first time, so who’s to say that I’ll be plagued this time around?” 

Gilbert nodded pensively, pulling her hand to his mouth to press a soft kiss to it. The comment, though meant innocently, struck a tender spot within him. He hadn’t known that Anne hadn’t been sick with their first child, he hadn’t been there to witness any of it and she had been tight lipped about the whole experience after she had miscarried. It seemed as if she went back and forth between pretending as if it hadn’t happened or mentioning it casually, as if the hurt they had felt had never existed. If anything it served as a reminder that even after knowing her for nearly a decade and being married to her for nearly half of that time, he still had absolutely no idea how her mind worked. 

“Well, I’m glad you had a good time, sweetheart. I suppose since you told Josie about the baby, Henry’s likely to know soon enough as well. Do you think I can expect a letter from him?” He asked. Anne hummed in thought as she squeezed his arm gently, noticing an opening to tell him the truth. 

“I think it’s certainly possible…” She said, biting down on her bottom lip as she gathered her resolve. “You might also receive a letter from Bash… and Matthew and Marilla… I’m sure Fred knows by now too… possibly Moody…” 

Gilbert looked down at her in disbelief, his jaw dropping. “They all know?” He asked incredulously. “How on earth did that happen?” 

“It’s really quite a funny story, if you think about it. To put it simply: Josie got too excited when I told her and yelled it out so Bash- and likely the rest of Avonlea- heard. It only went downhill from there.” Anne huffed, her expression going stormy for a moment before she looked up at him, taking in his fairly neutral expression for a moment before quickly continuing. “I’m so sorry Gil, you should have been there when everyone found out, I hate myself for taking that away from you. I understand if I’ve vexed you by letting the cat out of the bag so early.” 

Gilbert sighed, wanting to roll his eyes at the crazy woman he called his wife.  _ What am I going to do with her?  _ He thought. At first, he had to admit that the thought of not being there to see their friends and family’s reaction hurt a little bit, but one look at Anne’s wide blue eyed gaze, filled with worry and anxiousness, he knew he couldn’t contain his hurt for long.  _ There will hopefully be many more children to announce, Lord willing. I’ll just have to keep her by my side so that if the news slip, I’ll still be involved.  _ He mused to himself, hiding a snort of laughter at his thoughts in a conspicuous cough. Anne was still looking up at him with a pleading expression, and he was quick to put her out of her misery. 

“While I certainly wish I could have been there, I’m not upset with you in the slightest… though I may need a few words with Mrs. Tremblay next time we see her. Really, I should have known that something like this would happen. We have a terrible track record of plans going the way we want them to, my silly girl.” Gilbert said after an agonizing moment of silence that felt as if it were a thousand years, taking on a playful tone. Relief washed over Anne like rain after a drought, and her shoulders drooped as the pent up tension from a week of worrying left her body. 

“Oh thank heavens, I thought you were going to hate me.” She said, pulling a laugh from Gilbert as their house came into view in the distance.  _ Home,  _ Anne thought to herself.

“After all this time, you still think I have it in me to feel anything other than complete and total adoration for you? I must be doing a terrible job in my role as a doting husband.” He teased with a light chuckle, raising an eyebrow down at her. She smiled and giggled like a schoolgirl, looking up at him with all of the affection she had in her. 

“How did I get so lucky to be loved by you, Gilbert Blythe?” She asked with a wistful sigh, leaning her head on his shoulder as he opened the gate, letting them into their yard. Gilbert simply chuckled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. 

“I ask myself that question every morning, Anne Blythe. I’ll let you know when I find the answer. For now, I think I’d like a proper kiss hello, do you think you could oblige my humble request?” He said, opening their front door, the familiar smell of smoke and spices filling her senses. 

Anne beamed up at her husband, squeezing his arm lightly as he grinned down at her. 

“Gladly.” 

* * *

**October 1906**

Gilbert was in his and Anne’s guest room rocking Hazel to sleep for her afternoon nap when Henry found him, a fond smile on his face as he took in the scene. He had been watching his friend closely over his and Anne’s visit, feeling very nostalgic about his time as a new father. He remembered those days all too well, and his pride only multiplied as his family grew. Gilbert wore the same look of pride and joy when he looked at Hazel, and it was safe to say that the whole household had fallen in love with the little girl. 

“I’d deny it if you told anyone, but I must say I’m a little jealous of you. What I wouldn’t give for one of those.” He said with a chuckle, taking a seat in the chair by the window. Gilbert lifted an eyebrow at his friend, keeping his movements steady as he did so. 

“I hate to break it to you, but you’re currently greatly outnumbering me on the children front.” He said.  _ Though I’m going to try my best to catch up with you as quickly as Anne will let me,  _ he thought to himself, unable to contain his smile at the idea of them building their family the way they had always talked about. 

“I meant that I want a daughter, you cad.” Henry clarified with a snort, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his chair. Gilbert scoffed in disbelief, giving him a look that suggested that he didn’t believe him. 

“Good luck with that, I think the Lord has decided that the world only needs Tremblay boys.” He responded, glancing down to see if Hazel was asleep before setting her down to sleep. 

“You and Jo both seem to think that.” Henry said with a light chuckle, standing up from the chair. “Speaking of, she and Anne just went to take the boys to spend the afternoon with my mother, care for a smoke while the peace still exists?” 

Gilbert smiled, sparing one last glance at Hazel, who was sleeping soundly. He gently brushed a hand over the soft curls on her head before looking up at Henry and nodding, carefully standing from the bed so that he didn’t jostle the baby before following the other man out of the room. 

They didn’t speak until they had settled down in the parlor, pipes in hand as fragrant smoke filled the room. They were both thankful that their wives were currently not in, or else they would have been forced outside with their pipes. With them absent, the two men decided that a little bit of rule breaking would be alright- and it would keep them out of the crisp October cold that had settled in. 

“So you think you’d like a girl?” Gilbert asked, raising an eyebrow at his friend. Henry shrugged, puffing on his pipe for a moment. 

“Why wouldn’t I? It did me good to get whacked on the head by Ida every now and again growing up. I think it would be a fine thing for the boys to have a little sister.” He said. “Also, you try having four girls, and then I bet you’d be begging for a change of pace as well.” 

Gilbert gave a low whistle at that comment, shaking his head with a chuckle. “Four girls in a row? Do you want me to lose my sanity?” 

“Don’t pretend like you didn’t lose it a long time ago,” Henry teased. “I seem to recall you smacking your head against your desk quite a few times when you were taking Anatomy 101 our first year at UofT. I always knew when you had an exam coming up because I could hear the thumping from across the hall.” 

Gilbert chuckled, thinking back to the days that they lived next door to the other, when their fledgling friendship was little more than borrowing each other’s things and idle small talk about their lives and families. It seemed funny, looking back on it all, how interwoven their lives had become over a few short years. 

“It’s ludicrous, is it not?” He said aloud. “Who would have thought you asking for some shaving soap would have had us end up here? I have a good life, and we’re both blessed men, but life has certainly thrown a few unexpected things our way.” He said, giving his friend a light smack on the knee. 

“It certainly has.” Henry agreed with a nod and a quiet chuckle. “But you’re right, we are blessed men, that much is very true.” 

The conversation stopped then and they sat in a companionable silence as they smoked. That is, until Henry cleared his throat, getting Gilbert’s attention before he spoke. 

“Speaking of unexpected things, I feel like it’s only fair to tell you that I know about Anne’s miscarriage.” Henry said, keeping his eyes on the fire that crackled and danced in the fireplace. “You don’t have to say anything about it if you don’t want to, I just thought I would let you know that I knew.” 

Gilbert nodded pensively, totally unsurprised that Henry knew. It had only been a matter of time, he thought, since Josie knew it was almost guaranteed that she would tell Henry as well. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you myself. I hope you didn’t take that as a personal offense.” He said after a long moment. His friend simply shrugged, leaning back in his chair. 

“I didn’t, I understand why you wouldn’t want everyone to know. I can’t even begin to imagine what I would feel if Jo and I lost a baby.” He said, his eyebrows drawn together, deep in thought over the idea. Gilbert pressed his lips together, puffing on his pipe as a twinge of heartache pierced through his chest. 

“It was one of the worst days of my entire life,” He said after a moment with a heavy sigh. “I was finishing up exams and traveling home, and it isn’t the kind of news you want to have delivered by telegram. I thought I would get home to find Anne happy and glowing, instead I got her at one of the lowest points she’s ever been in.” 

Henry simply nodded to show that he was listening, letting his silence prompt Gilbert to continue. 

“It was awful. She was bedridden for days, and once she was physically strong enough to get out of bed, the melancholia was so terrible that she still couldn’t bear to get up. Then Diana got pregnant, and Josie right after her… She felt terribly alone, like she couldn’t talk to anyone about it.” 

“You two certainly went through the wringer, far more than Josie and I have, I’d say.” Henry said with a nod, and Gilbert shook his head. 

“Stop that, it’s not a game of who has suffered more.” He admonished. 

“It’s not, and I’m not trying to make it one.” Henry agreed with a shrug. “But I know that it wasn’t easy for either of you, given all of the circumstances. Josie and I certainly had a rough start, but besides rowing about her parents every now and then we’ve been happy and content. You two on the other hand were separated for three years, and during that time you went through the stress of an accidental pregnancy and the trauma of a miscarriage, all while being a province away from the other. It couldn’t have been easy.” Henry said. 

“It does sound dreadful when you say it like that, doesn’t it?” Gilbert chuckled. “Anne had a harder time with it all than I did, by far. I’m glad she told Josie, even if it has been several years since we lost the baby. She still feels guilty about it all.” 

“There’s some things that always hurt, and only time can numb them. ” Henry said with a nod. “Just know that if you ever need someone to confide in, in this matter or any others, you’ll never be turned away by me.” 

Gilbert nodded, reaching out to clap his friend on the back once. Besides Bash, Henry was his best friend and closest confidant. The two of them had seen each other through some of the most trying moments of their lives, and it had made both them and their friendship forged in fire and unbreakable. “I know that good and well, but thank you, Henry. I appreciate it.” 

“Of course,” He said with a nod, standing up to dump the remnants of tobacco from his pipe into the fireplace, while Gilbert followed suit. As they went about doing that the front door opened, and they were promptly met with the sound of Josie’s voice calling out,  _ Are you smoking in my house, Henry Tremblay?!  _

The two men looked at each other with wide eyes for a split second before they rushed to hide the evidence of their transgressions, falling onto the couch in casual positions right as Josie and Anne came into the room. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, darling.” Henry said, giving her a smooth smile as he prayed that she wouldn't see through his fib. For a moment he thought that he had gotten away with it, and when she leaned down to kiss him he was happy to receive it, only for her to pull away sharply, giving him a sharp look. 

“You are a dirty rotten liar, Henry Samuel! I can smell it on you!” She exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Hazel and Chip are napping upstairs, we couldn’t go outside and leave them all alone.” Gilbert said, quickly coming to his friend’s defense. Josie huffed, rolling her eyes. 

“I spent four whole months living in that apartment in Toronto with you two and I never once said a word about you smoking inside, but you know good and well how I feel about it.” She said, her dirty look never going away as she looked down at Henry. 

“I’m sorry, Jo.” He said, reaching out to gently grab her arm, pulling her into his lap. Anne had already settled down beside Gilbert, and they were watching on with amusement. “Next time I’ll bring Chip out with me when I go for a smoke. One can never start too young, can they?” 

Josie’s sour expression only darkened at the tongue in cheek comment, sending an unappreciative glare at her husband as Anne and Gilbert struggled to keep their composure. 

“Henry, I love you dearly,” She said slowly. “But I am very much struggling to like you right now.” 

At her comment Anne and Gilbert couldn’t stand it anymore and burst into laughter, the former earning a slap on the arm from her friend. Anne couldn’t find it in herself to care, leaning into Gilbert’s side, breathing in the comforting smell of lye and tobacco as Henry tried to remedy his wife’s bad mood. 

“I promise I won’t do it again… until the next time I try to sneak it without you noticing.” He said cheekily, only burying himself deeper into a hole. Josie, obviously done with his foolishness, stood up from his lap and turned to her friend. 

“Come on Anne, I suppose we should go get our knitting needles out to make blankets for our man child husbands who can’t endure a little cold to go smoke. Which is quite an awful habit, might I say.” She said pointedly, giving Henry one last look as she held her hand out for Anne to take. The redhead giggled as she pecked Gilbert on the cheek before standing, taking Josie’s hand in hers. 

“Oh Josie, I bought the most beautiful wool yarn last month, and I think it would make an excellent sweater. I’ve brought it along if you’d like to take a look at it...” She said, her voice fading as the two exited the room, but not before Josie could look over her shoulder and stick her tongue out at Henry, just to make sure that he knew that she wasn’t happy with him. 

“Is she ever  _ not  _ cross with you about something?” Gilbert asked once they were gone, raising an eyebrow at his friend. Henry shook his head, wearing the same dopey grin that he had when he was nineteen and had received a letter from the girl who had stolen his heart with only a few words. It seemed as if the years had done nothing to change the soft affection he had for his wife, and it made Gilbert happy to see that his otherwise reserved and composed friend was still reduced to mush when the blonde woman looked his way. 

“Oh she’s not cross,” He said with a chuckle. “You would know if she was… say, have I ever shown you the dent in the nursery wall from one of our arguments? She slugged a rattle at me, thankfully I ducked at the last minute or else it would have conked me on the head.” 

“I don’t think you have,” Gilbert said with a chuckle. “but I do know that I’m thankful that I have never personally been on the receiving end of one of her bad moods.” 

Henry laughed, shaking his head as he stood from the couch to fish his pipe out of its hiding spot so he could put it away properly. Gilbert joined him in the task, and when he came up beside him Henry was able to elbow him lightly. 

“Don’t speak too soon, if we get caught smoking inside again, I’m afraid we’ll both be in hot water.” 

Gilbert could only join his friend in laughing at the comment, more than willing to resign himself to freezing outside if it meant that he would avoid the wrath of Josie Tremblay. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for tagging along with me on this absolute epic of a story, it's been a joy to write so far! See ya next time!


	22. Twenty Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for being patient with me, folks! School has been nuts, but I managed to finish this chapter, so I hope you enjoy!

**December 1902**

Anne was lying in bed on the cusp of sleep when there was a quiet knock on her door. Her hands stilled from where they had been absentmindedly running over the slight swell of her stomach, and she was quick to lay them flat against her abdomen in a more inconspicuous position. 

“Come in.” She called, curious who was knocking on her door at such an hour. Her question was answered a moment later when Phil slipped in the room, a ghost of a smile on her face. 

“I’m sorry for coming in at such a late hour,” She said quietly, crossing the small room in a few steps as Anne pulled back the covers for her to crawl in the bed. “But I wanted to check on you.” 

Anne smiled, taking Phil’s hand in hers for a moment to squeeze it gently. She didn’t need to specify why she needed to be checked on, both of them knew exactly why. The following morning, Anne would tell Prissy and Stella that she would not be returning to Kingsport for the following term. Her secret had been a hard one to keep, but it was also what kept everything simple and gave Anne some feeling of normalcy even though the previous three months had been anything but. 

“I’m alright, just thinking.” Anne said, letting her fingers drift back over the little bump of her abdomen.   
“Penny for your thoughts?” Phill prodded, turning onto her side to watch her. 

“I wish Gilbert were here.” Anne said with a heavy sigh. “It isn’t fair that he’s going to see me barely looking pregnant at all and then the size of a whale in May. He’s going to miss everything.” 

Phil frowned, her heart heavy knowing the struggle her friend had gone through with coming to terms with her pregnancy. Anne had had a rough go of it in more ways than one, constantly getting a sour lot in life, and what Phil wanted more than anything was for things to go her friend’s way at least once. 

“I’m sure it wouldn’t be much of a comfort to say that you’ll have other children, and that he’ll be there to witness those pregnancies, now would it?” Phil said, and Anne chuckled bitterly. 

“While your logic is certainly sound, I’m afraid it still stings a little knowing that he isn’t going to see the firsts. We’ll only ever have one first child.” She said with a heavy sigh, letting her hands brush over the curve of her stomach once more. “We’ll find a way to make things work, we always do.” 

“That much I know to be very true. You and Gilbert certainly have stuck by each other’s sides through it all, and that won’t be changing now.” Phil said, offering Anne an encouraging smile. Anne hummed, thinking about just how true of a statement that was. It seemed like she and Gilbert had always been there for each other, a haven in the storms life threw their way. Even before they were together as a couple, she knew that Gilbert was a good friend- someone she could rely on no matter what. She thought about the day that everything seemed to change for her, when Gilbert had come to her at Green Gables with the grim news about Mary’s imminent passing. She had stood by him then, bolstered his confidence when he thought he didn’t have what it took to be a doctor, and when Mary passed away she was the one he went to first. She had been the one to hold him while they cried over a life that had been taken far too soon. There were other moments she could think of when she and Gilbert had been each other’s safe place, far too many to count, really, but at the end of the day she knew for certain that she had chosen the right man to stand by. 

“I wouldn’t pick anyone else to spend my life with. He’s my best friend, my lover, and the father of my child. There will never be anyone else for me but Gilbert Blythe.” She said, wishing for nothing more than to be by his side in that moment. 

**February 1906**

_February 3, 1906_

_Dear Diana,_

_I am going to kill Gilbert. Would you still be my friend if I did? Because I am at my wits end with that man and I fear that soon I may lash out and murder him in a blind rage._

_Let it be known that I am sending similar letters to Ruby and Josie because I am so vexed by this issue and seek their insight as well. I need to know that I am not alone in this absolutely annoying habit that my husband has acquired since I became pregnant. Here is my grievance: Gilbert is treating me like I am made of glass now that I am pregnant and it is driving me absolutely insane! Yesterday he stole a bag of flour out of my hands citing that I “didn’t need to be doing any heavy lifting in my condition” Excuse me,_ _my condition?!?!_ _Did he mean the very condition that_ _he_ _got me in??? Oh Diana, I almost whacked him on the head with a wooden spoon, I was so angry with him for that comment. We got into quite a row about it, and at the end of it all I banished him to the couch for the night. Of course I instantly regretted my decision and wished for him to join me in our bed once more, but I couldn’t relent, now could I? Not after taking such drastic actions, I refused to back down and let him believe that his behavior is acceptable._

_It’s absolutely maddening, Diana! I’m not some fragile little thing that needs to be kept in a box for safekeeping until I emerge from it with an infant in tow. I believe that the female body is quite marevelous in that I should be able to do everything as I’ve always done it, should I not? And it isn’t like I’m trying to haul around 20 pound bags of brown sugar, that might be a little much, but surely I can carry a basket of groceries through town with no trouble at all. I hardly think that would harm the baby to do so, but Gilbert does not seem to agree with me. In fact, now that the nausea I experienced at the beginning of my pregnancy has subsided, I’ve felt right as rain! Of course I get tired more easily than I did before, but shouldn’t that be expected when growing a child? I’m hardly an invalid, to say the least._

_Please tell me: did Fred do this with you when you were expecting? It would make me feel worlds better knowing that I do not suffer alone in this. Did it get better with your second pregnancy, or was he just as doting the second time as with Fred Jr.? In the spirit of transparency, let it be known that my decision to reproduce with Gilbert again rides on your answer. I fear I can not do this over and over again while also keeping my sanity intact._

_Don’t dally in your response: Gilbert’s life depends on it._

_Your dearest bosom friend,_

_Anne_

_P.S. Give Fred Jr. and Anne Cordelia millions of kisses from their Aunt Anne, please!_

* * *

_February 8, 1906_

_Dear Anne,_

_I thought that it was very romantic when Moody offered to carry things for me when I was pregnant with Elaine. In truth, I often felt like a princess with how much he doted on me, and I loved it! It was just like all of those games of pretend we played as girls, didn’t you think those were so fun? It's so lovely that those fantasies have become real, wouldn’t you agree? I suppose you would view his attentions differently than I do though, you’ve always been so independent. Please don’t take that as a slight, because I certainly don’t mean it as one. I simply think that I am more inclined to let myself be taken care of, while you prefer to pave your own path. While I don’t understand this desire of yours by any means, I have always admired it. You certainly are a rare wonder, Anne Blythe!_

_My advice would be to indulge him in his need to be your knight in shining armor and let yourself be taken care of. Don’t you think it’s so romantic that Gilbert wants to take care of you and your baby? He’s always been so chivalrous, I couldn’t imagine turning down such kind hearted offers for help. It sounds like he wants to make sure you are alright, and even though you find it annoying, I’m sure Gilbert would appreciate you relinquishing some of your control to him._

_As requested, I gave Elaine lots of kisses and she giggled like mad when I did, I think my heart melted the millionth time over hearing her sweet little laugh! Being a mother is the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me, and I can not wait for you to know such joys as well._

_All my love,_

_Ruby_

* * *

_February 10, 1906_

_Anne,_

_To put it simply: husbands are annoying as hell when you’re pregnant. I certainly understand how you are feeling, seeing as how I almost strangled Henry when I was pregnant with Sam. In my experience the excitement of children wears off after the first few, and once they realize just how durable we women are they stop thinking that we need to be handled like the good china in the cupboard. I suppose I could give you good news and tell you that Henry has gotten better about it with every pregnancy, and my hope is that with this time around with baby #4 he’ll give up his Mother Hen behaviors for good. (Yes, you read that right: I’m pregnant again. What would you say to a visit in the fall to introduce each other to our newest additions? I say you put a bug in Gilbert’s ear about it, and I’ll do the same with Henry.)_

_Anyways, I would suggest that you talk with him about it and air your grievances. Then, if nothing changes, then you are well within your rights to kill him for his behavior. Don’t worry, I’ll still be your friend should things come to this. I’m sure Henry would be a little cross with you for killing his best friend, but I’m sure he’ll understand with time._

_The boys send their love and kisses, and not a day has gone by that they haven’t asked about “Aunt Anne’s baby”, so it is safe to say that they are just as eager to meet your little one as I am. I hope to hear from you soon, and know that if you need asylum after killing Gilbert, you are more than welcome to find refuge here._

_Love,_

_Josie_

**_P.S. Anne, please do not kill Gilbert, he’s my only friend. Would you like me to write to him about this issue? -Henry_ **

* * *

_February 11, 1906_

_My Dearest Anne,_

_I hope you aren’t cross with me when I tell you that I showed Fred your letter. He certainly got a good laugh out of it and said something to the effect of “It’s a husband’s job to dote on his wife, especially when she’s carrying his child!” I know that isn’t the answer you wanted, but I suspect it’s what you’ve heard, or will hear, from Ruby and Josie as well. I know that you’ve always been the type to blaze your own path in life, and that is a trait of yours that I have always admired. Still, I would like to press further into the source of your frustrations, if you’ll allow me to be so bold. Surely after being in a relationship with the man for the better part of a decade, you would know by now that Gilbert is in no way trying to suggest that you are weak, frail or incompetent by helping you around the house. In fact, I would think that he is acting in such a way because of how much he loves and cares for you. Again, I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but perhaps Fred has a point: husbands want to take care of their wives, and really, is that such a bad thing? If it is really irking you to the point of murderous urges, then perhaps you should tell Gilbert why you’re so frustrated, but I also would like to challenge you to let yourself be taken care of. You don’t have to prove that you can handle anything life throws your way, Anne, you’ve already done that more times than any of us can count._

_Take my advice or don’t, but perhaps you should be looking inward to find the root of your irritation and frustration. Then, I would suggest having a talk with Gilbert about how you’re feeling. If you think about it and you decide that you do not want his help with tasks around the house, you are entitled to that opinion and I know Gilbert would respect your wishes. It’s also worth asking him about his motivations for treating you so gently, don’t forget that he lost his own mother to childbirth, so I can imagine that seeing you in such a state might be anxiety inducing for him. Try and think about it from his perspective as well, my dear._

_Your loving and loyal friend,_

_Diana_

* * *

“If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times. I’m a terrible wife.” Anne said with a heavy sigh as she set Diana’s letter down. She had sent the letters to her friends in a moment of frustration and agitation, but after hearing back from them, she realized just how close minded she had been about the whole affair. She had been blinded by her own staunch perspective, as she so often did, and had failed to acknowledge that Gilbert had his own intentions and motivations that guided his behavior. 

Anne certainly knew that she had her own. Diana had been right in her letter, she was independent to a fault and hated the idea of relying on others even though at her core she craved being wanted and taken care of. Though she was a grown woman, somewhere deep inside of her still lived the little girl who believed she would never be loved and who didn’t dare to get too comfortable out of fear of being abandoned or mistreated once more. It wasn’t a part of herself that she liked, the crippling self-doubt and hurt that she kept hidden under all of her bravado, but the trait had put strain on her and Gilbert’s relationship and she had no choice but to face it head on in order to make things right. They had not spoken much since their argument the week before, and even though Gilbert had joined her back in their bedroom after one night of banishment, there was a tension between them that had not dissipated. They could have blamed their lack of communication on Gilbert’s busy schedule or Anne’s need for frequent naps, but at the end of the day she knew that they were both being stubborn and she needed to apologize for her contribution to the tiff. 

With her mind made up to set things back in order, Anne hefted herself up from the couch where she had been reading the letter and made her way to the kitchen to begin preparing for Gilbert’s arrival home from work. She had never been one to do anything by halves, and if she was going to truly apologize, she wasn’t going to cut any corners. 

“What would you say to having your father’s favorite meal for supper, little one?” Anne asked quietly, running a hand over the curve of her belly. “And then maybe a pie for dessert? I think your papa deserves that at the very least. If you haven’t figured it out already, you should know that your mother is a stubborn wrench sometimes, and I can be quite unfair to your father because of it. Will you still love me even when I’m acting like a crotchety old mule, darling?” 

The baby must have been sleeping or otherwise ignoring her, because they didn’t so much as stir when Anne asked for their opinion. 

“Well, either way if you think I’m stubborn just wait until you meet your Aunt Josie, she could make a mountain bend to her will with a single look… and she does regularly with your Uncle Henry.” Anne said with a chuckle, giving her stomach one last caress before she grabbed her apron from its hook and began pulling out everything she would need to make shepherd’s pie. 

When Gilbert found her a little while later, she was elbow deep in flour as she furiously kneaded a pie crust dough on the counter top, a few errant strands of hair falling out from her bun. She blew them out of the way when she looked up after hearing the door open, her cheeks flushed from exertion and the heat of the fire and stove going. 

“What’s all this for? I didn’t forget an important occasion, did I?” He asked, a look of mild panic flashing over his features as he pulled off his gloves, hat, and coat. Anne shook her head, wiping her hands on her apron before making her way over to him. 

“No, you didn’t forget anything.” She said, pushing up on her toes to kiss his cheek. His skin was still cold from being outside, and she could feel the rough drag of stubble against her lips as she pulled away with a small pout. “I was hoping everything would be ready before you got home, you’re early.” 

“I didn’t have any appointments scheduled and I thought since it was Friday that it wouldn’t hurt to shut things down an hour or so early. I’m sorry if I spoiled your little plot.” He said with a chuckle, and Anne bit her lip to hide her grin. Instead she reached out to take his hands in hers, bringing them up to her lips to press a kiss to them. 

“I’m making your favorites because I’m a terrible wife and I want to apologize for it.” She explained, looking up at him with a soft, sincere expression. Gilbert snorted, raising an eyebrow up at her. 

“Sweetheart, I know we’ve been a little frustrated with each other the past few days, but I would hardly say that makes you a terrible wife.” He said, squeezing her hands gently. 

“But that’s just it, Gilbert! I’ve acted like a child, and have been wholly unfair to you. I haven’t even tried to understand your point of view and I feel awful about it all. I’ve just been thinking about myself.” She said, her lower lip sticking out in a pout.

“I could say the same for me, Anne.” Gilbert said, wrapping an arm around her waist so that he could pull her into an embrace. “You’re about as independent as they come, and I know you’ve felt patronized by my overprotectiveness.” 

Anne sighed, burying her head in his chest as she struggled to find the words to say. Once Diana had put the thought in her head to look at things from Gilbert’s point of view, it didn’t take much thought to realize why he acted the way he did. But the thoughts and feelings were heavy, ones she didn’t want to bring to the surface. Couldn’t she just keep the messy emotions tucked away? Were their apologies enough if they weren’t getting to the root of the conflict in the first place? 

Anne inhaled slowly, her mind made up to rip it off like a bandage and just come out with it. “Seeing me pregnant scares you. Doesn’t it?” 

She knew that she had hit the nail on the head when Gilbert sighed and slumped in her arms, clutching onto her a little bit tighter as her words lingered heavily over them. A few long moments passed where they stood like that, holding onto each other in the warmth of their kitchen, and before he spoke again Gilbert exhaled slowly, letting his hand drop to the swell of her stomach. 

“I love seeing you pregnant,” He started slowly, lifting his head from where it had been resting on her shoulder so that he could look her in the eye. “But… Yes Anne, it’s terrifying for about a million different reasons.” 

“So you try and take care of me because it makes you feel better.” Anne said, intentionally not posing it as a question. They both knew that she was right in her assumption, there was no reason to try and deny it. Anne sighed as she watched Gilbert’s gaze drop to the floor, his shoulders falling a little bit lower than they had been. 

“It wasn’t a conscious choice, I hope you realize that. In fact it’s only now that you’re saying it aloud that I realize just why I was doing it. I promise I’ll try and let you do things your own way from here on out.” He admitted, his voice low. Anne hummed quietly, reaching out to cup his cheek in her hand. He leaned into the touch, nuzzling her hand gently. 

“I think there’s a healthy balance to be found in all of this, don’t you think? I let you help me a little bit with the chores around the house, and you let the little things slide. What do you think about that?” Anne proposed, her blue eyes wide and shining up at him. Gilbert smiled down at her, his heart melting as he fell in love with her for the thousandth time over. 

“It’s funny you say that, I actually received a letter from Henry yesterday about compromises on this issue.” Gilbert said, pressing a kiss to her palm. Anne raised an eyebrow at that, looking slightly dubious. 

“Oh, did he now? And what did he have to say?” She asked, taking a step backwards to cross her arms over her chest. Gilbert laughed, shaking his head. 

“I’m afraid it was strictly man to man knowledge, but I will say that it was very illuminating and insightful.” He said with a mischievous glint in his eye. Anne rolled her eyes at him. 

“I take it that’s code for, ‘things he doesn’t want Josie knowing about’, so I’ll let it drop this time, Mr. Blythe.” She said, sticking her nose in the air. “Well, if you’d like to help me with something, I need to finish making us a pumpkin pie for dessert but the shepherd’s pie needs to be put in the oven. You’re welcome to do that.” 

Gilbert chuckled at her directions, leaning in to press a kiss to her cheek. 

The conversation wasn’t over by any means, and they both knew that. There would be time later for them to talk more about insecurities and anxieties that they only ever whispered about under the cover of night where their secrets seemed to be safer and less real. They would talk about Anne’s fear of abandonment and Gilbert’s fear of anything to do with childbirth, and how both of them were terrified of losing another child even though they had no reason to believe that they would. They both knew that time for those conversations would come quickly, but in that moment, they were both content to rest in the preliminary understanding they had found and bask in the little bubble of warmth and comfort they had made. 

* * *

_February 10, 1906_

_Dear Gilbert,_

_I thought it was important to let you know that our wives are currently planning your murder in the event that you don’t stop treating Anne like she’s fragile. While they might go blue in the face fussing about it, I completely understand why one would want to tend to one’s wife while she’s expecting (I myself am preparing to do it for the 4th time- Josie’s pregnant again and already saying that she thinks it’s a boy) so if you’d like my advice: preemptive actions are necessary for crotchety and stubbornly independent wives. My favorite thing to do is to move everything to the lower cabinets when she’s out so that she never has to pick anything heavy up or carry it too far. I’ve found a great deal of success doing this, and Jo has no idea. Let me know if you would like a complete list of my strategies, I would be happy to share._

_Sincerely,_

_Henry_

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, we're almost to the end! (If I ever stop raising the chapter count, that is) See you next time!


	23. Twenty Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note: pay close attention to the timestamps before each section! I know the timeline is a monster, but hopefully keeping track of those times will keep things from getting too confusing. 
> 
> To clear something specific that I saw asked about the last chapter: Anne was pregnant for the first time in 1902, and miscarried at around 12-13 weeks in December of that year. She then got pregnant for the second time in summer of 1905, after Gilbert graduated from medical school. This is baby is Hazel, who is seen sporadically throughout the fic in October 1906. Two pregnancies, only one of which Anne carried to term. I hope that clears up any confusion with that!

**December 1903**

Anne was about to go ballistic. 

She had been home for Christmas holidays for less than three days, and Rachel had already brought up children, _again._ She had gotten very used to the woman’s pestering in the nearly three years that she had been married, but due to the events of the Christmas prior, Anne had almost zero patience with the subject at all.

In fact, it was the exact opposite of what she wanted to think about. Though Christmas holidays were infinitely easier to bear than the year before, there seemed to be little reminders of the loss she had suffered all around her, making it downright miserable sometimes. Notably, she had spent the afternoon prior with Diana, fawning over Fred Jr., and while the baby was as cute as a button, it still reminded Anne that she should have had one of her own in her arms and didn’t. It was exhausting to say the least, which was why when she sat down for tea at Green Gables, the last thing she wanted to talk about was babies. Rachel, naturally, couldn’t think of anything else. 

“I just think that you should reconsider waiting,” Rachel said, taking a dainty bite of the fresh gingerbread that Marilla had made that afternoon. “I know you wanted to wait until Gilbert is done with school, but if you start trying once you two move to Toronto next fall, then you’ll be set to deliver right as he graduates!”

“Thank you for the suggestion.” Anne said tersely, her jaw locked as she forced herself to take a sip of her tea. “But I think I’d like to spend at least a little bit of time living in the same province as my husband before I begin chasing after little ones.” 

“Oh, lighten up, Anne dear.” Rachel tittered, sensing Anne’s discomfort and annoyance, though she had misplaced just where the irritation was coming from. Anne knew it wasn’t entirely fair to be sour with the older woman, seeing as she had no idea of what Anne had gone through the year before, but that didn’t stop her comments from burrowing deep underneath Anne’s skin. 

“Please just leave her be, Rachel. You know good and well what they think on the subject, and you have known for years.” Marilla said with a tired sigh, just about as frustrated with the conversation as Anne was. 

“I just want for her to know she has options!” Rachel defended. “Forgive me for wanting a little baby around here. I know it must be strange seeing all of your friends having babies around you, yet still waiting for one of your own!” 

Her words were the spark that lit the gunpowder that had settled in Anne’s chest, and before she could even try and stop herself, she exploded. 

"You know what, Rachel? I _could_ have a baby in my arms right now, had I not miscarried this time last year. I wanted that baby with everything in me, and _every single time_ you bring up having a child, it reminds me of what I had for a precious few months, and then lost forever. I barely had time to accept the fact that I was going to be a mother before it all went away, yet that baby is _always_ on my mind. It’s not just strange seeing my friends have children, it was downright agonizing having to sit by and watch both Diana _and_ Josie carry their babies to term, knowing that my child would have a birthday somewhere in-between theirs. It burdens my soul seeing them experience what I didn’t get to, what I _won’t_ get to, not until Gilbert graduates school a year and a half from now. I want a child terribly Rachel, I have _always_ wanted a family, and I almost got one, but it was ripped away from me. I have asked you in every respectful and uncouth way I could think of and you didn’t listen so I will say it plainly now: if you say something about having a child or ask me if I am expecting one more time before I am visibly pregnant or tell you myself, then I will not be visiting Green Gables as long as you are here." She said, hands shaking and eyes watering as she stood up abruptly. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need some air.” 

“Anne-” Marilla said, but her words fell on deaf ears as Anne stormed out of the house, leaving her hat and bag behind as she hurried out. When the screen door slammed behind her with a loud _bang!_ Marilla shot Rachel a dirty look. 

“How many times has she told you to leave her alone about children? And you just couldn’t help yourself, could you?” She snapped. Rachel, visibly shaken up after Anne’s rant, had the decency to look guilty and embarrassed. 

“I didn’t know she miscarried... did you?” She asked, her face pale as she looked up to Marilla. She sighed, shaking her head as she brought her hands to her temples, rubbing small circles. No, she hadn’t known that Anne had been pregnant, and the thought of her having to face the pain of losing a child alone was enough to make her heart throb painfully in her chest.

“I’m going after her, I suspect she’ll be headed back to the orchard for the afternoon.” She said after a moment, shooting Rachel one last heavy look. “And in case you didn’t get it through your head, you are to _never_ speak of children in front of Anne or Gilbert again until they give us the news themselves, am I clear? I will not lose my daughter because you don’t know how to keep your mouth shut.” 

Rachel nodded once, still frightfully pale as Marilla blew out of the room, tugging on her winter coat and hat, grabbing Anne’s things and marching out of the house. 

The cold wind bit at her nose and cheeks as she followed the fresh tracks through the snow all the way to the Blythe-Lacroix orchard, stopping at the door to knock politely, exhaling with relief when Hazel opened the door. 

“Do you know what’s got her in such a huff?” She asked in lieu of a greeting, and Marilla nodded wearily, knocking the snow from her boots before entering the house, setting Anne’s things on the kitchen table as Hazel gave her a sympathetic look. “She’s up in her bedroom, if you’d like to go to her.” 

Marilla gave Hazel a weak smile and a nod of appreciation before seeing herself out of the kitchen, making the trek upstairs to find her daughter. It didn’t take long to find her, she was exactly where Hazel had said she would be, wrapped up in a quilt on the bed, her back to the door as her shoulders shook from her quiet weeping. 

Marilla sighed sadly, closing the door quietly before sitting on the bed beside her, reaching out to stroke her head softly. Anne startled at the touch and sat up quickly, her face relaxing and falling when she realized who was there. 

“Oh Marilla,” Anne said pitifully before she collapsed into a heap, burying her face into Marilla’s skirts as she wept without restraint. Marilla said nothing, and simply stroked her head while she cried, gingerly pulling pins from her hair to allow her better access to the locks. 

“It’s been a full year and it’s still a terrible ache at the best of times and downright unbearable at others.” She finally said after a long while, sniffling loudly as she sat up, wiping the tears from her cheeks. 

“Why didn’t you say anything? When did this happen?” Marilla asked, the guilt of not being there for her daughter’s sorrow weighing heavy on her shoulders. 

“There was no reason to have everyone heartbroken.” Anne said feebly, another small whimper leaving her. “And do you remember at the beginning of winter break last year? When I said I had that horrible flu?” 

Marilla nodded, her heart fracturing again in her chest. She remembered all too well that break, she had hardly seen Anne the entire time she was home, and the few brief instances that she did see her it was plain to see that something was off. At the time, Marilla contributed her somber mood to the nasty illness she had come down with at the beginning of the holiday, but knowing the truth of it all filled her with a sense of guilt and sadness that she was not prepared for. 

“Oh Anne, I wish you would have told us.” She said with a heavy sigh, frowning down at the vivacious young woman that she had tried her best to raise. It made Marilla feel every bit of her sixty six years seeing Anne crying over the loss of her child, when had the rambunctious little thirteen year old who talked to her reflection and named the farm animals turned into the brokenhearted young woman that was sitting in front of her? She was not yet twenty one years old and still had seen a lifetime’s worth of heartache, and Marilla wished more than anything that she could take the pain away from her.

“I was beside myself with grief,” Anne explained with another sniffle. “I didn’t want for anyone else to feel that way. Up until now the only others that knew besides Gilbert and I were Bash, Hazel, and the girls at school. It was an accident, one that I am ashamed to say I was resentful of for a long while, and I was just coming around to the idea when I lost the baby. I knew that Gil and I would have to go back to waiting to start a family, and it crushed me. That’s why I didn’t want anyone else to know.” 

Marilla sighed sadly, and at a loss for words she continued stroking Anne’s hair gently, hoping that it would bring some measure of comfort to her daughter. Anne was content to lie there and accept the affection, her heart heavy with emotion that she struggled to put words to. It was somewhat of a relief to not worry about having to keep her secret carefully hidden away, but it also took the bandage off of a wound that had not yet scabbed over completely. 

“I’ve told Rachel that she is to drop the subject completely, or else she won’t be welcome at Green Gables anymore,” Marilla said, stepping into the practical mindset that she had taken on many years before. “I love Rachel, but you feeling comfortable in your home is what's more important to me. Children will come in their own time, you still have your youth and you might as well make good use of it. Be the bride of adventure, isn’t that what you used to say?” 

Anne chuckled at that, lifting her head from where it had been resting against her chest so she could nod. “It feels so silly, thinking back on that now. Things certainly haven’t turned out the way we thought they would, have they?”

“Things have never been the same since we sent for a boy and received a girl, but I wouldn’t change a single thing.” Marilla said with the ghost of a smile on her face. It was a moment of levity, one that would undoubtedly get overshadowed by grief eventually, but for a moment they had a few rays of sunshine in the midst of a tempest, and that was good enough for the Cuthbert women. 

* * *

When Rachel knocked on the door the next afternoon while Anne was working on dinner for that night, she had half a mind to ignore her. She wouldn’t have felt bad doing it, either. In fact, she would have found a twisted sense of satisfaction letting Rachel Lynde know that she had seen her knock and chosen not to answer. It would have been the least she deserved after being so insistent and nosy, nobody could deny that. 

Yes, she could have ignored her, but that would also have meant ignoring the earnest look in her eye that Anne could see even through the gauzy curtains on the door. For that reason alone Anne set down her knife with a reluctant sigh, wiped her hands on her apron, and went to answer the door.

“Good afternoon, Rachel.” She said stiffly, keeping her hands balled into fists at her sides. “Is there something I can help you with?” 

Rachel sighed, sympathy and regret written all over her face. “Can I come in, dear?” 

After a moment of thought, where Anne once again contemplated the idea of shutting the door in her face and continuing her afternoon, she decided against the callous action and took a step backwards so Rachel could come inside. 

“I’m afraid you’ve caught me in the middle of something, but if you’d like you can grab an apron and help. Those onions need chopping.” Anne said dismissively as she picked the knife up once more. Was it a petty move, making the woman cut up the eye-watering vegetable? Most definitely, but Anne wasn’t particularly in the mood to play fair that afternoon. 

Rachel didn’t complain or put up a fight against her request, and after a few minutes of silence, the only sounds in the kitchen being the heavy _clomp clomp_ of the knives against their cutting boards, Rachel finally cleared her throat. 

“You know I don’t know how to shut my mouth,” She said with a heavy sigh. “But that’s no excuse, now is it?” 

“I don’t know how fair it is to truly be cross with you, you had no idea that I was ever pregnant.” Anne said quietly, keeping her eyes down to the potato she was peeling. 

“That’s no excuse either. You told me to stop countless times before then, and I never listened.” Rachel said, setting her knife down and turning to face her. “I can’t say sorry enough to express just how horrible I feel, Anne. I’m sorry that I was persistent and ignorant of your requests for me to stop. I’m sorry you lost your baby, it’s a pain I know all too well, one that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. It burdens my soul knowing that you’ve had to endure such a tragedy.” 

Anne bit down hard on her lip to try and keep her composure, but Rachel’s words had sent a fresh wave of grief over her, and she was unable to stop the tears as they ran down her cheeks. For the moment, her frustration was gone and was replaced with the need to be comforted by someone who had walked the same path she had. 

“There, there,” Rachel cooed quietly, letting Anne fall into the cradle of her arms. “I know it hurts, don’t be afraid to cry.” 

“Please tell me it will stop hurting one day. Sometimes it feels like it will never stop.” Anne whimpered, her voice muffled by Rachel’s blouse. 

“Time certainly dulls the ache,” Rachel said with a heavy sigh, rubbing gentle circles into her back. “But I still think about the two children I’ve lost, and it makes me sad when I do. I’m afraid it’s just one of those things that stick with us forever. Those children live in my heart though, the same way that yours will always live in yours. You are no less a woman or a mother because of your miscarriage, and don’t you let anyone tell you otherwise. That includes yourself, as well.” 

Anne nodded, letting her words settle over her. Though the pain of the loss was overwhelming more often than not, she tended to focus more on that than the myriad of other emotions that came with her miscarriage. Even though the pain was a loud, incessant distraction it seemed that the crippling insecurity and guilt that frequently fell over her had settled deep into her soul, amplifying everything and rocking her to her core. 

“It’s so hard, Rachel.” Anne said after a moment of thought with a heavy, tired sigh as all of her deepest insecurities bubbled to the surface. “What if there’s something wrong with me?” 

“Hogwash.” She said with a light chuckle. “I thought the same thing, and you know how big my family got to be. I know it’s hard to see anything else in the moment, but one day you’ll be surrounded by a gaggle of children and think that you were silly to ever believe such a thing.” 

Rachel’s words were true (and many years later when she and Gilbert had six children running around she really would think that she was ridiculous to ever think that she was broken, but that realization would come much, much later) and they helped lift the heavy weight that had settled on her chest, even if it was only slightly. 

“As much as I like the idea of a full house, let’s just worry about getting Gilbert and I out of college first,” Anne said with a chuckle, wiping away the remnants of tears. “I promise that you and Marilla won’t have to wait for long after he graduates, Lord knows I’ll be begging for a baby at that point.” 

Rachel chuckled, taking Anne’s hands in hers to squeeze them lightly. “That’ll be a marvelous day, dear, for everyone.” 

Anne couldn’t help but join her laughter, opening her arms up to embrace the woman that made her want to tear her hair out while also being one of the best confidants she had known. 

_Yeah,_ Anne thought. _What a day that will be._

  
  


**April 1906**

“It could be any day now.” Gilbert said into the quiet night, running his fingertips lightly over the smooth skin of Anne’s stomach as they laid in bed and drifted off towards sleep. 

“You really think so, Dr. Blythe?” Anne asked with a quiet chuckle, her voice thick with exhaustion. “Is that your official diagnosis?” 

Gilbert laughed quietly, shaking his head at her before pressing a kiss to her shoulder. “Just a guess, I don’t know how you could possibly get any bigger.” 

Anne snorted humorlessly at that particular comment, looking over her shoulder to give him a withering look. “Wow, you sure have a way with words, Gil.” 

“Oh, stop it. You know what I meant.” He said, brushing a kiss to her cheekbone before she rolled back into her previous position with her back pressed to his front. 

“I can’t believe that we’re about to be parents, it still seems like such a foreign concept even though I’ve had the better part of a year to come to terms with it.” She said with a yawn. Gilbert smiled, tucking himself closer around her so that he could be as close to her as possible.

“Well, I’d say we have a few more days to get accustomed to the idea before baby Blythe makes their appearance. That’s plenty of time, wouldn’t you agree?” He said with a chuckle, even though he would later find that his assumption would be very, very wrong. In fact, though they had no way of knowing it at that moment, they would go to sleep the next night with their daughter in the bassinet beside their bed and their lives forever changed. They still had a few hours of blissful peace before Anne would start having contractions, and until then they would rest easy side by side and blissfully unaware of what was looming in the very near future. 

“I suppose so.” Anne said with another loud yawn. “I’m glad Marilla, Rachel, and Hazel arrived today, it’ll be nice having them around when the baby comes.” 

Gilbert nodded in agreement, following Anne’s yawn with one of his own as he drew her in closer. “I hope you know that with those three here you won’t be lifting a finger until they leave. If you thought I was bad, those three are going to be worse.” 

Anne snorted, knowing good and well that the three older women were going to drive her absolutely batty during their stay. In fact, they had already done a good job of it in the few short hours they had already been there. “I might lose what’s left of my sanity, but at least the house will be spotless.” 

“And we’ll have enough food to feed us until the new year.” Gilbert added with a chuckle, his heart fluttering in his chest when he felt the baby- _his_ baby- move underneath his hand. 

“Maybe they’ll get up when the baby cries at night instead of us, and we’ll be able to get a full night’s sleep.” Anne added with a quiet giggle, knowing that it was more wishful thinking than anything. 

“I hate to break this to you, sweetheart, but you’re the only one who can provide what the little one will likely want.” He said, pressing a kiss to the shell of her ear. 

“And what if all they need is a late night nappy change? Will that be my jurisdiction as well?” Anne asked with a snort, looking over her shoulder at him with an eyebrow raised, almost challenging him. Gilbert, knowing that she was playing at a pointless squabble, didn’t take the bait. Instead he caressed her belly gently, leaning in to softly kiss her cheek. 

“Of course not, I’ll take care of those.” He assured her, nuzzling gently into the crook of her neck. “Perhaps I’ll just change my vocation, how does ‘Gilbert Blythe, nappy changer’ sound?” 

“It sounds ridiculous, but if that’s your heart’s desire then I guess I have no choice but to full heartedly support you.” Anne giggled, settling happily into her husband’s embrace. 

The two lapsed into silence then, letting the conversation end just as naturally as it had begun. Gilbert was content to lie there with Anne, feeling his child wiggle and stretch under his hand. He couldn’t help but agree with her statement from earlier in the night, it was mind boggling to think that they were so close to being parents. It was a strange thought, even though they had watched all of their friends become parents- multiple times over in some cases- and realistically it was bound to be their turn sooner or later, that didn’t stop the strange feeling that came along with the fact that they were about to have a child of their own. As he was trying to wrap his mind around that thought, more traitorous thoughts came into his head, bringing along with it anxiety that held his heart in a vice grip. 

“Anne?” Gilbert asked hesitantly, hoping that she had not yet fallen asleep. 

A moment passed, and Gilbert thought that he might have missed the narrow window of opportunity to talk about what he had been ignoring for months. Then, just when his heart started to sink, Anne stirred in his arms. 

“Yes, Gil?” 

He took a deep breath, gathering his resolve to broach the topic. 

“I feel like we should talk about what would happen if…” He stopped, taking a deep breath as he began to lose his nerve. 

“If…?” Anne prompted quietly, squeezing his arm gently to reassure him. 

“If things take a turn for the worse when you’re in labor.” He finished, his heart pounding uncomfortably in his chest. 

“You stop that, Gilbert John.” Anne said sharply as the words left his mouth, turning over to look at him. “You don’t get to think or talk like that.” 

It was dark in their bedroom, but he could still make out the harsh glare on her face that she was sending him. It was a look that he had received many times throughout his lifetime- most of them deserved- yet no matter how many times Anne gave him such a look it didn’t stop him from being slightly terrified by it. 

“What do you mean, I don’t get to think like that?” Gilbert said, his eyebrows drawn together. “I think I’m well within my rights to be worried about my wife giving birth.” 

“Well you should have thought of that nine months ago when you decided you wanted to be a father!” Anne huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. Gilbert sighed, knowing that he was fighting a losing battle. Anne had always been a passionate individual, and her passion often outweighed her ability to use reason and logic. Coupled with the myriad of emotions she was experiencing as a result of her condition, Gilbert knew better than to try and make her think rationally. 

“I’m just trying to think practically here, Anne.” He said with a heavy sigh. “You know that I’m scared because of what happened to my mother, I want to be prepared should the worst happen. Don’t try and say that it won’t, because you know just as well as I do that it’s always a possibility.” 

“I know all of this frightens you, Gil, and I wish I could take it away from you. I’m not trying to be callous or dismissive of your anxiety, but I’m not scared. Do you know why?” She asked, her firm tone morphing into something soft as she finished speaking, hefting herself up into a sitting position so she could take his face gently in her hands. She cupped his face gently, as if he were made of something precious, and stared at him with her pale blue eyes that shone in the moonlight. 

“Why?” He asked dubiously, not quite sure what she was going to say.

“Because you’ll be by my side the entire time, and I trust you with my life. You’re a good doctor Gil, and I know you aren’t going to let anything happen to me. I believe in you more than I believe in anything on this earth.” Anne said, her eyes burning with passion and resolve. It made Gilbert want to cry, seeing how much she believed in him and how little he felt like he deserved it. 

He couldn’t help the tears that welled up in his eyes, and he was quick to wipe them away on the sleeve of his nightshirt, coughing awkwardly to get rid of the lump that had formed in his throat. 

“I’d be careful saying that, Marilla will scold you for being sacreligious.” He said, hiding his emotions behind the light joke. Anne saw straight through him and his teasing, frowning at him as she rubbed her thumb lightly over his cheek. 

“I don’t want you to be frightened.” She said softly, her voice barely a whisper. “You say you want for us to be prepared should anything happen, and though I firmly believe that nothing will, what can I do that would help you?” 

Gilbert chewed on the inside of his cheek in thought at her question, it seemed as if he hadn’t planned far enough ahead, because he didn’t have an answer to her question. If anything, her question only made more rise up in his mind. Was there anything that she could do that would take away the anxiety in his head? Could Anne do anything that would absolve him of the fear he had held for years? He wasn’t sure. 

Sensing his turmoil, Anne reached for his hand, squeezing it gently in hers once before she placed a kiss to the back of it. 

“I’ll write a letter,” She said. “Like Mary did for Delphine. I certainly hope that we won’t need it, but if anything does happen to me, then the baby will have something left from me when they’re grown. Does that sound like a good plan to you, Gil?” 

Gilbert exhaled slowly, taking a moment to think about the suggestion. It wasn’t something he wanted Anne to do, not by a long shot, because a letter meant that there was a chance that he would have to deliver it one day. Still, he supposed that a letter didn’t increase the probability of him losing Anne, but instead it would offer some sort of solace should the worst happen. He wanted a plan, and a plan was what Anne was offering him. 

“Yes, I suppose that would be a good thing.” He said with a small nod, letting his gaze fall to their interlocked hands as exhaustion- both mental and physical- hit him like a train. 

“I’ll do it first thing in the morning,” Anne said quietly, settling back down on the mattress beside him. “But for now, let’s try to rest. The day is quickly approaching where an interrupted night’s sleep isn’t going to be a regular occurrence.” 

Gilbert laughed, wrapping his arms around her tightly, holding her as close as he could. It was their last night as a family of two, and even though they didn’t know that yet, they were still content to soak in every moment of peace before their lives changed forever. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, everyone! 
> 
> We're only two chapters away from the end of this story (I know I've changed the chapter count a million times over, but I've charted out the rest of this fic and it's looking like 25 will be where we land) and I hope to have this story wrapped up by the end of the month, should things go the way I'm expecting. Take that with a grain of salt though: I'm in my last year of school, taking 19 hours, have a job, a relationship, an officer position in a campus organization, and some semblance of a social life to try and maintain outside of all of that. All that being said, finding time to write (and reply to comments) might be something that takes a backseat as school really gets rolling. Please be patient with me, I promise I won't leave this story unfinished! :) 
> 
> Until next time! <3


	24. Twenty Four

**April 1906**

Anne was absolutely enraptured by the little baby that was sleeping peacefully in her arms, and she knew that it would be a long while before she looked away from her. How could she even think of doing such a thing? She wondered idly how her friends were still productive members of society, because all she wanted to do for the foreseeable future was look at her baby. 

“She’s perfect.” Gilbert said from where he was lying beside her, his voice low and reverent as he watched his daughter with complete adoration. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more beautiful baby in my whole life.” Anne said, getting choked up at the mere thought of how much love she had for the infant that she had known for only a few hours. “It’s a shame that none of my friends will ever have babies as beautiful as ours.” 

Gilbert chuckled at that, leaning in to press a kiss to the side of his wife’s head, nuzzling her softly for a moment, basking in the serenity of the moment. All in all, it had been a fairly uneventful labor and delivery- though with Anne being Anne, she still found ways to give him gray hairs prematurely throughout it all. He could have fussed at her for several things- how she sent him to work that morning knowing that she was in labor, calling him names in the midst of contractions, and nearly banning him from the room altogether (though there was no chance that he would have left, even if she threatened him with bodily harm.) Yes, he could have fussed at her for a great many things, but all of his wife’s irritating and infuriating behaviors had flown out the window the minute their little girl arrived. 

“I’m sure the girls would try and put up a fight, and as adorable as their children are, I’m compelled to agree with you, darling. We truly do have the most adorable baby there is.” He said, pressing another kiss to her hair. “Now tell me this, now that you’ve seen her, do you know what you’d like to name her?” 

Anne hummed, her eyebrows knitting together in concentration. Names were something they had talked a great deal about even before they started trying for a baby, but Anne had been firm in her belief that they needed to see the baby before making any decisions on the name. Gilbert went along with her, knowing that it would be easier than trying to change her mind, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t on the edge of his seat in anticipation of hearing her decision. 

“A name is an important thing, Gil.” Anne said after a long moment, keeping her gaze on the baby’s face as she reached out to run a fingertip lightly down the bridge of her nose. “I want her to be named after people that have loved us and been significant to us in our lives, people that will love her just as much as we do.” 

Gilbert smiled, nodding in agreement as he began drafting a list in his mind of all of the people who could fit that criteria, feeling happy and warm at just how long the list was. “Who did you have in mind?” 

“I was thinking that Hazel Josephine Blythe is a lovely name.” Anne finally said, looking up at him with her bright blue eyes that he had been in love with for ten years. He couldn’t help the smile that came when he heard the name, and it was as if he knew in his heart that that was what they were meant to name their daughter. 

“Two women who are definitely going to fuss at us for naming our child after them, I couldn’t think of anything better.” He said with a chuckle, running his hand over Baby Hazel’s head, her dark curls soft under his calloused fingertips. 

“Hazel stood by me when my whole world was falling apart, and she helped put me back together. I’ve known that I wanted to name any daughter we had after her since then, it only seems fitting.” Anne explained, her face and tone going somber at the thought of her miscarriage.

It was true, Hazel had taken care of both of them when their grief was stifling, knitting their broken hearts back together with tender affection and warm, home cooked meals. Even outside of that, Hazel had become somewhat of a mother figure to him over the years, their relationship going from stiff and formal at best (at Hazel’s insistence) to something warm and familiar. He loved the woman deeply, and considered her family in the same way he considered Bash, Delphine, and even Elijah to be his family. He couldn’t have thought of a more fitting person to name his first born after. 

“And Josephine… Well, Josie is my best friend, Gil and-” Anne said, her eyes going watery at the thought of the feisty blonde woman. 

“You don’t have to explain yourself and your choices to me, darling. You and Josie are kindred in a way that no one could ever put words to. If you want to name our daughter after strong women, I think you’ve chosen incredibly well. I know their accolades just as well as you do.” He said, setting a hand on Anne’s arm, squeezing it lightly. 

“I suppose that settles it then.” Anne said with a light laugh, looking back down at the sleeping baby. “You, my little love, are henceforth known as Hazel Josephine Blythe. A name filled with grace and strength, which is my prayer for you from this day onward.” 

Gilbert watched on, falling in love all over again with both his wife and daughter. With Anne, every moment was filled with wonder and magic, even something as simple as naming her child she had turned into her own sort of ceremony, adding a gravitas to it that others might not recognize at all. Her rituals were sacred to her, and it was that whimsical part of her that he fell in love with over and over again. He knew that he was wound tightly around her finger- and Hazel’s little one now, as well- and he didn’t care one bit. His heart was full to the point of bursting with affection for his little family, and he was more than content to sit there in a peaceful silence with them for as long as he could. 

“You should go send the telegrams soon, let everyone know that she’s arrived.” Anne said after a few minutes of quiet, yawning quietly as her eyes drooped, threatening to shut completely as a wave of exhaustion fell over her. She desperately wanted to stay awake and look at the baby more, but she also knew that her body was begging her to rest and she was very much losing the battle against it. 

“I’ve already sent Rachel to do it, and Marilla’s making supper for everyone. You, on the other hand, should rest for a little while” Gilbert said with a smirk, leaning back to watch her carefully for a moment before he gently pulled Hazel from her arms, cradling her gently. Anne snorted weakly, not even bothering to open her eyes as she snuggled deeper into the blankets. 

“Doctor’s orders?” She asked playfully, an amused smile gracing her face. 

“Will you not listen if I ask as your husband rather than your physician?” He teased, adjusting his grip on Hazel so he could reach out and flick Anne’s nose lightly. 

“I’m going to nap because I want to, not because you’re telling me to.” She said with a long yawn, her voice soft and tired, almost as if she were already dreaming. Gilbert simply shook his head then, knowing her stubbornness all too well. She was resting, and that was enough to make him happy. He waited a moment until he was sure she had drifted off before he carefully got out of bed, holding Hazel gently in his arms, sparing one last glance at Anne’s sleeping form before quietly leaving their bedroom. 

He made his way to the parlor, finding Hazel there folding laundry. She looked up when Gilbert entered, smiling fondly at him as he settled down into a chair, his gaze dropping down to the little infant in his arms. 

“I don’t know how I’m ever going to be productive ever again.” He said softly, stroking Little Hazel’s chubby cheek. 

“Why do you think the ladies and I came to help? You and Anne will have nothing to worry about besides loving that sweet little girl for at least a week.” Hazel said with a chuckle. 

“And then I’ll have to start begging you to stay longer.” Gilbert said, looking up at her with a lopsided grin. Hazel smiled, shaking her head at him fondly.

“If I didn’t think that Sebastian would burn the house down without me there, I would consider it, but those mokes back home need me.” She said with a playful glint in her eye, setting aside the laundry she was folding before moving across the room to sit in the chair beside him, looking down at the baby with a soft expression. 

“We’ve decided on a name for her.” He said, his smile betraying him as he passed the baby off to the older woman, settling back into his chair so he could watch her full reaction. “Hazel, meet Hazel.” 

If the moment weren’t so serious, he would have laughed at the range of emotions that flashed across her face in the span of a few seconds before she slid back into her usual no-nonsense expression, shaking her head once. “No.” 

“What do you mean, no?” Gilbert asked with a laugh, leaning back into his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. 

“You’re messing with this old woman, Gilbert Blythe.” She said, dropping her gaze to the baby when she started squirming in her grip. She sighed, looking back up at him. “This one needs a nappy change. You best cut your fooling around by the time I get back.” 

Gilbert let her go without a fight, letting her take the baby with her as she processed the information that she had just been given. He was not surprised at all by her reaction, knowing that the modest, reserved woman would push back as much as possible. Hazel’s grit was always something he admired about her, though it drove Bash to the brink of insanity countless times. 

He was pulled from his thoughts after a few minutes when Marilla came in, taking in the quiet and empty room with a curious expression. “Is everything alright, Gilbert?” 

He looked up at her, blinking a few times before he actually reacted to bring himself back to the present. “Yes, everything’s fine. Anne’s resting and Hazel is changing the baby. I suppose I got lost in my head there for a moment though, it’s been quite a day, hasn’t it?” 

Marilla nodded at his explanation, chuckling at the understatement of the decade. “It certainly has been, I should have known it would be purely because it’s Anne we’re dealing with here. Did anyone tell you that you were barely down the porch steps this morning before she was telling us to set up the bedroom for her to deliver? We almost had to restrain Rachel from running after you.” 

“Yet she was the one who objected to me being in the room.” Gilbert said with a chuckle, thinking back to that particular confrontation. It had taken him saying something to the effect of, ‘ _This is my house, my wife, my child and I’m a doctor by trade. There isn’t a damn thing you can do to keep me out of that room’_ before she stood down and relented, though she grumbled the entire time about how husbands had no place in delivery rooms. 

“Rachel’s a silly old thing, you shouldn’t worry about her too much.” Marilla said, and Gilbert snorted. 

“I don’t.” He said with a grin, sharing a knowing look with Marilla before he cleared his throat. “We’ve decided on a name.” 

The older woman lit up, leaning in slightly. “Have you now?” 

“Yes, he has.” Hazel said as she reentered the room, baby in tow and obviously still bent out of shape at the news. “Poor thing is named after a cranky old woman, don’t know what the boy was thinking.” 

Gilbert snorted, holding his arms out to take the baby. He cradled her in his arms as he looked up at Marilla, who had a puzzled look on her face at Hazel’s less than thrilled reaction. He chuckled, opening his mouth to explain when he was cut off. 

“We named her after a woman that means a great deal to us,” Anne said, standing in the doorway with her dressing gown wrapped tightly around herself. “Though I will admit that she is stubborn to boot.” 

“You shouldn’t be out of bed, Anne. You need to be resting.” Gilbert said, standing up quickly and passing Hazel off to Marilla so he could cross the room to where she was leaning against the door jamb. 

“I missed my little Hazel.” She said, ignoring Gilbert’s concern as she started across the room, though she didn’t try and stop him when she wrapped an arm around her waist to help her. Marilla lit up again when she heard the name, looking up at the older Hazel with bright eyes. 

“What an honor, Hazel.” She said with a bright smile, though the woman could only huff and cross her arms over her chest. 

“Well, they can’t change the birth certificate at this point, now can they?” She said, though Gilbert could tell from the lingering wetness on the corners of her eyes from when she had left to change the baby that she was touched by the gesture. 

“No, we can’t.” Anne said as she settled down in the chair that Gilbert had been sitting in, holding her arms out for Marilla to pass the baby to her. She cooed quietly when her daughter was back in her arms, stroking her face gently. “Our little Hazel Josephine isn’t going anywhere.” 

Gilbert smiled, perching himself on the arm of the chair, looking down at his girls. He knew his life would never be the same- he was a father, and he knew that his new purpose in life was to love and protect his little family, and he would spend the rest of his days ensuring that they were safe and loved. It was a large task to undertake, but Gilbert knew with more certainty than he had known anything else that it was a task that he was more than willing to take on. 

* * *

Henry was attempting to eat lunch when the telegram arrived.

Due to the fact that he had three little boys struggling to squeeze into his lap while he also tried to get his food into his mouth without dropping it or having it taken by dirty little hands, he was completely unaware of its arrival. That was why when his wife came barreling into the room, jumping and screaming like someone had died, he was a little shocked. 

“What on earth is going on?” He asked, dropping the slice of apple that was in his hand so that he could wrap his arms around the boys, making sure that they didn’t fall out of his lap as a result of his surprise. 

“It’s a girl! It’s a girl!” Josie exclaimed, a beaming smile on her face as she fell into a chair across the table from him, breathing hard as she set a hand on her rounded stomach. Henry snorted, raising an eyebrow up at her. 

“Well, at least it’s not another boy- have you developed psychic abilities without me knowing?” He teased, earning an eye roll from his wife as Will wiggled out of his lap in search of the piece of apple that was currently lying on the ground. 

“Not this one,” She said, the unspoken _duh_ loud and clear as she rolled her eyes at him. “Though I can only hope this one will be a girl, what I meant is that Anne had her baby.” 

Henry chuckled, reaching out to take the slip of paper when she offered it to him. Sure enough in bold print, the telegram said: 

**TO: HENRY TREMBLAY**

**TREMBLAY ENTERPRISES AND RANCH**

**OTTAWA, ONTARIO**

**OFFICE OF ORIGIN: STEPNEY CREEK, PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND**

**APRIL 12, 1906**

**LITTLE GIRL . ANNE AND BABY HEALTHY.**

**WILL WRITE TONIGHT. GB.**

“Well, isn’t that exciting.” Henry said with a chuckle as he set the paper down on the table, unable to wipe the grin on his face. “I’d bet good money that Gilbert cried like a baby when he found out.”

“And is that such a bad thing? If I remember correctly, you sobbed for a good long while when you held Sam for the first time.” Josie retorted, raising an eyebrow at him from across the table. Hearing his name, Sam perked up, his hand going still from where it had been reaching out to take some of his father’s lunch. 

“What did you do, Papa?” He asked, looking up at Henry with wide brown eyes. Henry smiled down at his son, ruffling his hair lightly, pulling a giggle from the little boy. 

“Your mother was saying that I cried when I held you for the first time, when you were just a little baby.” He explained, his heart swelling at the memory that would live in his mind forever of the day he became a father. 

He had been out in the barn with his father and a potential buyer, showing him their horses when one of the farmhands ducked in, waving Samuel over to him. Henry had been on high alert all day, barely able to focus on what kind of horse the man was interested in because he was all too aware that his wife was in labor back at the house. If it had been up to him, he would have been there waiting for the baby to arrive, but his mother had all but forced him out of the house saying that he would only be in the way and make everyone nervous with his relentless pacing. 

“If you’ll excuse me for a moment,” Samuel said, crossing the length of the building to see what the farmhand needed, and though Henry should have been focused on the man, he couldn’t help but keep his eyes glued to his father, his heart pounding in his chest. He shouldn’t have been surprised that he wasn’t able to glean any information from the man’s expression, as impassive as ever as the farmhand made his way over to him. 

“Your father said I can take over from here,” He said with a bright smile on his face, clapping him on the shoulder. “Congratulations, Henry.” 

At those two words Henry took off towards his father, feeling like his heart was about to burst out of his chest. His father was waiting on him just outside the door, his hands tucked into his pockets. 

“Take a deep breath, son, before your head pops off.” Samuel said, the ghost of a smile on his face, his eyes sparkling with amusement. 

“The baby’s here, isn’t it?” He asked, wiping his sweaty palms on his trousers. His father smiled for real then, nodding once to confirm. 

“Come on,” He said, clapping him on the shoulder. “Let’s go see if your mother will let us meet the newest Tremblay.” 

“I’d like to see her try and keep me away.” He said with a chuckle, shoving his shaking hands into his pockets as they made their way towards the big house. It was a miracle that Henry restrained himself enough to not run, wanting more than anything to be by Josie’s side. 

When they got to the house they found all of his siblings in the parlor, and in a surprising twist of fate Ethel was the one frowning while Ruthie was beaming. 

“Henry!” His younger siblings shouted when they saw him, jumping up and running to hug him. He chuckled, wrapping his arms around them as best he could, raising an eyebrow at Ethel. 

“What’s got you all cross?” He asked, earning a huff from the little girl. 

“Mother won’t let us see the baby! She said you get to be the first one, and we have to wait.” She said, taking a step backwards and crossing her arms over her chest in a pout. 

“It’s almost as if it’s my child that Josie just delivered, not your doll to play with.” He laughed, ruffling her hair as she pouted once more. 

“It’s not fair! Ida got to see the baby already, Mother wouldn’t even let us in the room but she got to be there the whole time!” Ethel whined. Ida chuckled, shaking her head at her baby sister. 

“That’s because I’ve already had two babies of my own, and Josie needed me there because of that.” She explained gently for what Henry guessed was the thousandth time, standing up from the couch to give him a tight hug. “Congratulations, little brother. Or should I be calling you Papa now?” 

Henry felt like he could die of happiness right then and there at the mention of his new title, and he smiled so wide that his cheeks started to hurt. 

“I think it would be easier to just call me the luckiest man alive.” He said with a laugh, taking a step back when he felt a tug on his sleeve.

“Henry, can I hold the baby first once you’ve seen it?” Ruthie asked, her dark eyes shining with excitement. He was tempted to say yes, if that meant his normally cantankerous little sister would keep her cheerful mood for a little while longer. 

“No! I wanna hold the baby first!” Ethel shouted, looking as if she was about to burst into tears. 

“Well I’ve already held the baby, so really _I_ was the first one.” Ida said proudly, setting her hands on her hips, unable to keep herself from lording her privilege over her little sisters. Ethel huffed grumpily, charging forward to shove her older sister, only to be stopped when Samuel scooped her up into his arms. 

“That’s enough, girls.” Samuel said, stopping the brewing conflict before it could begin. “Ida, please act your age and don’t antagonize your sisters. As for you two, it will be a while before you get to see the baby, but for now, I think there’s someone your brother needs to go meet.” 

Henry smiled at that, giving his family one last grin before taking off towards the room he knew Josie was in, finding his mother closing the door behind her just as he arrived. She gave him a watery smile when she saw him, reaching up to cup his face in her hands. 

“My little boy,” She said softly as a tear of joy slid down her cheek. “It’s hard to believe that you’re a father now.” 

“I’m having trouble believing it myself,” He said with a chuckle, pulling his mother into a tight hug. “How’s Jo? Is she alright?” 

“She’s tired, but the midwife said she’s healthy and strong. She did everything perfectly.” Lillian said, pulling away from the hug. “But now, all she wants is to see you.” 

“Then I better not keep her waiting.” He said with a nervous chuckle, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves before he reached for the doorknob, his hands sweaty and shaking as he let himself into the room. 

The sight of Josie sitting there on the bed with a little bundle of blankets in her arms was enough to undo him completely, and the breath was pulled from his lungs as he shut the door behind him, biting down on the inside of his cheek. She was looking down at the baby when he entered, but looked up when the door opened and when she saw that it was him she beamed, looking absolutely radiant in the glow of the late afternoon sun. She waved him over silently, dropping her gaze back down to the little bundle, as he crossed the room in three strides, climbing onto the bed beside her. 

“Who is it, Jo?” He asked softly, not even attempting to stop the lump in his throat that was choking him up. “Is it Anne, or Samuel?” 

Josie giggled, sniffling quietly as she maneuvered the baby around so that he could look, holding them outward for Henry to take into his arms. 

“Henry,” She said as she passed the baby off to him, reaching up to wipe a stray tear away. “Meet your son.” 

With those three words, Henry’s life was forever changed, and sitting there with his wife tucked into his side, and his son in his arms, he cried harder than he had cried in a very, very long time. 

He smiled fondly as he came back to the present, looking down at where Sam was looking up at him with wide eyes. 

“Did you really cry, Papa?” 

Henry smiled, nodding once. “Indeed, I did. The same way I cried when I met your little brothers as well. I was very, very happy to meet you. In the same way I’m sure your Uncle Gilbert was excited to meet his little baby.” 

“I wanna meet the new baby, Papa.” Sam said, after a moment of thought. Will perked up from where he had been eating the abandoned apple slice on the floor, nodding enthusiastically in agreement. 

“Wanna meet the baby.” He parroted, crawling under the table until he reached his mother, clamoring up into her lap. 

“You will soon,” Josie said with a laugh, kissing the top of Will’s head. “Aunt Anne and Uncle Gilbert are going to visit once the baby in my belly is here.” 

“Is the baby a girl like Aunt Anne’s baby?” Sam asked, cocking his head to the side. 

Josie and Henry chuckled at the innocent question, trading smiles across the table. They were blessed to have three healthy, rambunctious little boys, but Josie knew all too well that Henry wanted a little girl. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that even though she had no way of knowing for sure, she had a hunch that their newest addition would be yet another boy. She herself went back and forth between whether or not she wanted a little girl in the mix, if anything a little variety would help keep her sanity intact. 

“We’ll just have to wait and see, Sam. Do you think you’d like a little sister?” Josie asked with a giggle, smoothing a hand over Will’s head, who watched his older brother carefully and nodded fervently after Sam did. Thomas, who was oblivious to the conversation, simply stole another piece of cheese from Henry’s plate, feasting on his father’s lunch while he was distracted. 

“The people have spoken, Jo.” Henry said with a laugh. “It looks like we can’t stop until we have a girl.” 

“So we’ll stop at four if this one is a girl?” Josie asked, raising an eyebrow up at him. He chuckled, shooting a flirty grin back her way. 

“Why should we stop with one girl? We might as well try and even the field, three boys and three girls. Don’t you agree?” 

“You’re incorrigible, Henry.” Josie said with a snort and a roll of her eyes, sliding Will off of her lap so she could stand up and fix him another lunch, seeing as his first was decimated by their sons over the course of their conversation. He followed her, letting the boys lay waste to the rest of his meal as he went. He smirked as he came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. 

“I love you, Mrs. Tremblay.” He said, his voice low as he leaned down to place a gentle kiss to the side of her throat. 

“I suppose you’re sufficient as a father and husband.” She responded flatly, though she was betrayed by the hint of a smile that played at the corners of her mouth. Henry simply smiled into the skin of her neck, knowing that her words were just as good as an: _I love you, too._

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one more left to wrap everything up, see you next time!


	25. Twenty Five

**April 1906**

With a freshly delivered telegram in hand and exciting news in her mind, Ruby McPherson was finding it very hard to wait on her friend to answer the door. It seemed like it had only been a few minutes since she had received the telegram, and with a quick skim of it she was grabbing her hat and baby to take off across town to Diana’s as fast as her feet could carry her, knowing without a doubt that the other woman had gotten the same news as she had. She was about to burst out of her skin when she arrived, banging on the door with much more vigor than necessary, and she was close to saying to hell with manners and burst into her house without waiting for an answer when it finally opened. 

“Oh, thank goodness, I was worried I would have to be rude!” Ruby said with a heavy sigh of relief, breezing past the poor housekeeper that had opened the door, who was standing there looking positively bewildered as Ruby all but forced her way into the house, shoving her hat into her hands as she went. 

“Diana!” Ruby called, following the sound of whimsical piano music to the parlor. “Dearest Diana, where are you?” 

The piano music came to a halt as Ruby entered the parlor, finding Diana at the bench, looking quizzically at the doorway. When she realized that the intruder was Ruby she relaxed, a bright smile on her face. 

“Well good afternoon to you, Mrs. McPherson. To what do I owe the pleasure?” She asked, standing up to join her friend across the room, brushing a kiss against her cheeks. Ruby beamed, holding out the telegram. 

“Did you not receive your telegram yet? Anne had her baby, a little girl!” She said gleefully. It was obvious that Diana had not gotten the good news yet when her jaw dropped, her eyes lighting up.

“I knew it! Wasn’t I saying just last week when you came over for tea that it was going to be a girl?” Diana said gleefully, grabbing Ruby’s hands in her own excitedly. 

“That you did! You’ve got a knack for predicting genders, I think. You’ve guessed right so far on all of our babies, besides Josie’s first that is.” Ruby tittered, letting Diana lead them to the couch. Diana snorted, settling down into her seat. 

“Josie’s easy to guess now, I swear that woman is never going to have a daughter.” She joked. “And speaking of daughters, where is yours? Did you leave her with Moody?” 

Ruby gasped at the sudden realization, slapping herself in the forehead. “Oh dear, I’ve left Elaine in the pram outside.” 

Diana burst into laughter at her friend’s flightiness as Ruby jumped up from the couch and rushed out of the room, returning a moment later with Elaine in her arms, the little girl none the wiser that her mother had completely forgotten about her in her rush to talk to Diana. 

“Thank goodness she won’t remember that I did that.” Ruby muttered, setting the little girl down on the carpet to crawl around while the two older women talked. 

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, Rubes. When I first had Fred Jr. I would walk out of the house without him all the time. I think it’s quite normal to forget that one has a new addition to keep track of.” Diana said with a giggle. “I’m sure our dear Anne will do it sooner or later.” 

“Oh, I have no doubt about that.” Ruby tittered, smiling happily at the thought of their friend and her new baby. “She would laugh until she’s blue in the face if she heard what I’d done just now, don’t you think we should go tell her the story ourselves?” 

Diana grinned conspiratorially, leaning in with a mischievous look in her eye, the cogs already turning in her brain. “I like the way you think, Mrs. McPherson. It’s never too early to start planning a little visit, now is it?” 

**June 1906**

Anne loved her friends and family, she really did. All she had wanted her whole life was to be surrounded by people that loved and cherished her, people that would welcome her into the fold with no questions asked. She was a truly blessed woman, but goodness gracious, did she want to be left alone. 

It seemed like she was granted a week of peace following Hazel’s birth, but since then it seemed like the second her front door closed from visitors, another set was knocking. At first she had loved it, Matthew had been their first visitor and she got teary eyed just thinking of how tender her father’s face was when he held his granddaughter for the first time. He didn’t set her down the entire time, only reluctantly passing her off to Anne when she needed to be fed or changed. After Matthew came Bash, Dellie, and Elijah, and then a few days after them was Diana and Ruby. Some days it seemed like she hardly held her own baby, and that the only time she was in her arms was when she was passing Hazel off to the next set of waiting arms. Once the last of her family had made the trek, her neighbors and the few friends around town she had made came calling, and that was when she started getting tired of always having company.

On one hand, she was glad that she didn’t have to spend every day alone, and the never ending stream of casseroles and meals brought to her were delicious and kept her from having to cook, and she would never turn down an offer from someone to help with laundry or tidy up around the house... but also she was completely and totally  _ exhausted.  _

“Gil, I think we need to move and never return.” Anne said grumpily, sinking down into the bathtub with a heavy sigh. Gilbert snorted from where he was drying off from his own bath, rubbing his hair with his towel as he turned to his wife. 

“Why do you say that, sweetheart? I thought you liked it here.” He said with an amused look. Anne scoffed, going through the motions of bathing while keeping an eye out for Hazel, who was dozing peacefully in her moses basket a few feet away. 

“I  _ did _ like it. That is, until I had a baby. Then everyone and their uncle decided to come visit.” She grumbled, sinking deeper into the tub with a loud huff until the water brushed her chin. “Is one day of peace too much to ask for?” 

Gilbert smiled to himself as he dressed, listening intently as his wife ranted while also absentmindedly noting that the hot water had made her cheeks and chest flush a very distracting shade of pink. 

“I think you are definitely allowed to ask for a day to yourself.” He said, pulling a chair away from the table so he could sit beside the tub. Anne snorted as if he had made some sort of joke, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Easy for you to say, you’re working when everyone comes calling. I can’t just turn people away, Gil. It isn’t polite.” She said, giving him a withering look that reeked of ‘ _you_ _just don’t understand’._

“Let me be the bad guy then, tell anyone that comes tomorrow that Hazel’s sick, and I’ve prohibited you from letting any visitors in so she can convalesce.” He said, leaning back in the chair, satisfied with his proposed solution. Anne, on the other hand, was not so pleased.

“I can’t believe it! The God-fearing good doctor is telling his wife to  _ lie  _ to the humble, honest people of Stepney Creek. Excuse me, I need to run and grab the minister.” Anne said sarcastically as she started to stand up, getting halfway before she snorted and settled back into the tub. 

“So you obviously aren’t a fan of that idea.” Gilbert said flatly, raising an eyebrow at her. Anne rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. While it certainly sounded like a blissful time, having a whole day to herself without having to welcome in guests and offer them tea- making it even when they politely declined, because of the silly unspoken game polite company required- she couldn’t bring herself to be fully comfortable with the idea.

“You’re telling me to fib, Gil.” She said with a frown. 

“A little white lie, darling, and a necessary one I think. I’m afraid to say people will be less offended about being turned away if the baby is “sick” than they would be if you said that you’re tired and don’t want to play host.” Gilbert said, and upon noticing that Anne had a look on her face that meant she was about to fight him for what he just said, he was quick to hold his hands up in surrender. “And I’m not saying that you being exhausted isn’t a completely valid excuse for not accepting visitors, but you know how finicky people can be.” 

Anne sighed, chewing on her bottom lip in thought for a moment before she hefted herself out of the tub, reaching for her towel. “I absolutely abhor lying, but your suggestion is sounding more and more appealing the longer I think about it. I had to listen to Mrs. Meeks go on and on about breastfeeding tips for the better part of an hour today, and she didn’t even bat an eye when Hazel woke up hungry. She said she didn’t mind at all if I did it right then and there! Now, you know I’m not a modest woman by any means, but she must have lost her mind if she thought that I was going to whip them out like it was nothing. I hardly know the woman, for goodness sakes!” 

Gilbert had to smother a laugh at her story, though it was clear that he had not done so fast enough when Anne whacked him on the arm. 

“I thought you liked Mrs. Meeks!” Gilbert said in mock defense, though his laugh showed that he was hardly serious. Anne rolled her eyes, toweling herself off quickly before she reached for her clothes. 

“I do, she’s a very kind woman and her pork chops are the best I’ve ever had, but I don’t like her enough to hear her say the word ‘ _ areola’  _ about a thousand times and still be sane by the end of it.” She said sourly, her face twisting in displeasure as she thought back to the hellish afternoon she had spent with the plump old woman. 

“It sounds to me that unless you want to hear it said a thousand more times, that our little Hazel should have a bit of a fever tomorrow.” Gilbert said, waiting until Anne had pulled her nightgown over her head before tugging her into his lap. 

“I’m still telling the minister on you, Mr. Blythe.” She grumbled, yawning as she shifted slightly to get comfortable in his arms. Gilbert chuckled, making sure his grip on her was tight before he stood. 

“If that’s what makes you feel better, darling, then I’ll happily take his scolding after the fact.” He said, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head as he carried her off towards the bedroom. She squirmed in protest even though she was obviously losing the battle against sleep. He wasn’t sure how she managed to do seemingly everything- taking care of the house, Hazel, herself, and the never ending stream of guests that had come out of the woodwork since Hazel’s arrival in April, but he did know that she deserved a break from it all. 

“Just rest, Anne-girl.” He said quietly, as he tucked her into bed. “I’ll take care of everything.” 

Anne, realizing that her exhaustion had finally caught up to her, didn’t have the energy to do anything more than just nod tiredly, yawning loudly as she burrowed into their sheets. 

“Love you, Gil.” She muttered as she drifted off to sleep. 

Gilbert smiled, brushing a kiss over her cheek before he straightened to his full height, taking a moment to watch her peacefully sleeping before he left to go get Hazel from where she was still sleeping in the kitchen. Only when he noticed that her breath had evened out and her face had relaxed completely did he leave, whispering _ “I love you too, Anne.”  _ as he went. 

**September 1906**

Gilbert was convinced that there were few things better than coming home to one’s wife and child. Before Hazel was born he didn’t mind working late if he was needed, knowing that Anne would be at home clacking away on her typewriter with a plate of whatever she had made for dinner waiting in the kitchen for him. He didn’t try to make a habit of coming home late, but he also didn’t see it as an inconvenience if he was held up. 

After Hazel was born, anything that kept him away from his daughter a moment more than necessary was a nuisance. He finally understood Henry’s behavior after Sam had been born, he never wanted to leave her, and he spent his days missing his little girl fiercely. He had come to care deeply for the people of Stepney Creek in the year he and Anne had lived there, but every ‘Doctor, could you spare a few minutes…’ or ‘Oh, Doctor, could you step inside to look at this for a moment…’ as he was preparing to leave the practice or on his walk home was one more thing in his way from getting back to Hazel and Anne. As sour as the interruptions made him, or as tired and crotchety he felt after a whole day of helping hypochondriacs or sewing people up after farmyard incidents, walking into his home to the sight of Anne crouched on the ground, her long braid almost brushing the floor as she leaned over Hazel, tickling the little girl as she cooed and snickered while the little girl giggled like mad at her mother’s antics was enough to melt his frustration away like the first warm spring day after a long, bleak winter. 

Anne looked up when the door opened, a bright smile on her face. “Welcome home, Papa.” She said, scooting aside as he joined her on the floor, kissing her cheek quickly before turning his attention to Hazel. 

“Hello, my sweet angel. I missed you so much today, yes I did.” He cooed, his heart turning to mush in his chest when she gave him a gummy smile, lifting her arms up for him to pick her up. Never one to deny her anything, he was quick to scoop her up and pepper her plump cheeks with kisses, lifting her up to give a raspberry on her belly, earning himself a shriek of laughter from the baby when he did so. 

Anne watched on beside him, falling in love with Gilbert Blythe for the millionth time over as he babbled nonsensically to Hazel, their matching hazel eyes shining in the late afternoon sun. At five months old, Hazel was already taking after her father in just about every way possible (though both of her parents could already tell that she would be a stubborn thing, which was a trait that was all Anne, and neither of them could deny it.) and Anne was grateful for her dark curls and bright eyes. 

“I think you should have been the doctor, Anne. That way you could go to work everyday, and I could stay at home with the baby all day.” Gilbert laughed as he set Hazel down and turned to her, tugging on her braid playfully. “Henry had the right idea, what I wouldn’t give to be able to pop in throughout the day and see my favorite girls.” 

Anne gasped at the mention of their friend, her eyes bright and excited as she reached out to take Gilbert’s hands in hers. 

“You’ll never believe what news we received today, Gil.” She said, looking as if she was about to burst out of her skin. Gilbert snorted, raising an eyebrow at his overly excitable wife. 

“Well seeing as how I know that Josie is due soon, and that you started bouncing out of your skin at the mention of Henry’s name, I’m going to take an educated guess and say that the baby arrived.” He said with a chuckle, and his suspicions were confirmed when Anne squealed happily, nodding exuberantly. 

“Another little boy, if you can believe it.” She said, her smile never fading. Gilbert snorted, shaking his head as he began to think of all of the teasing he would get to do the next time he saw Henry. 

“It isn’t even surprising at this point.” He said. “I’ll have to write to Henry tonight sending my congratulations and start making arrangements for a visit soon.” 

Anne smiled, leaning in to kiss him quickly. “Nothing would make me happier, it’s been ages since I’ve seen Josie, and Hazel was telling me just this afternoon that she would like some new playmates.” 

Gilbert hummed, playing along with her little game as he looked down at Hazel with an eyebrow raised in query. “Did you now, little miss? And when were you going to tell your Papa that you started talking?” 

Anne laughed at his playfulness, scooping Hazel up from where she was sitting to attack her face with kisses. “Don’t say anything, sweetheart. Keep your secrets with your mother.” 

“That’s not fair!” Gilbert laughed, reaching for the baby, though Anne turned her back at the last second to him to keep Hazel out of his grasp. “I bet you sit here all day and try and get her to say your name first, at least give a man a fighting chance!” 

“I’m bound and determined for her first words to be mama, and there isn’t a thing you can do about it, Gilbert Blythe!” Anne giggled, turning back around so that she could pass Hazel off to him. “But I suppose if you want for me to be fair, you can try your best to teach her while I make us supper.” 

Gilbert could only smile at her as she stood, reaching out to smack her bottom as she made her way towards the kitchen. Anne took the assault in stride, looking over her shoulder for a half second so she could stick her tongue out at him before she disappeared into the kitchen. 

With Anne gone, Gilbert turned to his giggly daughter, tickling her belly to make her squeal before he set her in his lap, taking her little hands in his much larger ones. 

“Repeat after me Hazel,” He said, leaning backwards against the couch as Hazel watched him with rapt attention. “ _ Dada.”  _

(Little did he know that Anne was watching on from the doorway, and he would receive a letter from Bash a few weeks later teasing him about Hazel needing to be spoken to in English so that she would actually learn the language, and questioning if Gilbert even knew the language well enough to teach his daughter. Gilbert would send him a letter in response that showed Bash just how thoroughly colorful his vocabulary could be.) 

**October 1906**

They were going to be late for their train, and it was all Anne’s fault. 

“Anne, we need to leave now or else we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to go. Is that what you want?” Gilbert asked with a heavy sigh from his seat at the kitchen table, watching as Anne flitted around the house grabbing random items as she went. 

“No, that isn’t what I want at all and you know that.” She said grumpily, sending him a dirty look. “But what if I forget something? What if Hazel grows out of all of her clothes while we’re there, or what if all of her swaddling blankets get dirty and there aren’t any clean ones for her! I should go grab a few more…” 

“Sweetheart, we’re visiting our friends who already have four children of their own. I promise you that if we forget anything or run out of clean things they will be more than willing to share. Also, you do know that if something gets dirty, they still allow for things to be washed in Ottawa. You don’t have to pack enough to last you the whole week and then some, in fact you could wash everything every day if you have the energy for it.” He said with a chuckle, knowing that he was wasting his breath trying to reason with Anne. Not that she would have heard his logic anyway, she was already out of the room to grab more blankets and clothes for Hazel, who was sitting happy and content in her father’s lap. 

“I’m not sure if you’ve realized this yet, but your mother is a little bit loony, Hazel.” He stage-whispered to her, earning a gummy smile in response. Gilbert smiled back at her, bouncing her on his knee and pinching her nose lightly, pulling a happy giggle from the little girl. 

“Your mother also heard that.” Anne said as she breezed back into the room, opening up her bag to dump the swaddling blankets in while shooting a dirty look Gilbert’s way. “Forgive me for wanting to be prepared for our first real trip with the baby, Gil.” 

“I’m not faulting you for it, Anne-girl, I just don’t want to miss our train and have to tell Henry that we’ll be a day late.” He explained, reaching out to take her hand in his. She kept her scowl for another moment before her face softened, and she squeezed his hand lightly. 

“You’re right,” She relented with a pout. “I suppose that I have gone a bit overboard, I just want to be prepared for anything and everything.” 

“And I firmly believe that we are, the packing list you made was quite extensive, if you can recall.” Gilbert said with a laugh, standing from his seat to draw Anne for a quick kiss. “And you’ve checked that list three times over now, so I think it’s safe to say that we’re ready to go.” 

Anne sighed, brushing an errant strand of hair out of her face. “I suppose you're right.” She said, reaching for Hazel so that Gilbert could stand and grab the last of their bags. “But we should hurry and leave while you have me convinced, lest I think I need something else and we’re delayed even further.” 

Gilbert laughed at her self-awareness, leaning down to peck her cheek first, then Hazel’s, before herding them out of the house, locking it behind him quickly. Though Gilbert had no way of knowing it then, Anne’s tendency to overpack for what would become their annual trip to the Tremblay ranch would only get worse with every child they would add to their family. And with every trip and every new addition, Gilbert would get increasingly better at pulling Anne out of the house at the last moment, somehow making it to the train station with just moments to spare every single time. 

* * *

After a week of fun memories being made and new revelations coming to light, the time had come for the Blythes to leave the Tremblay family ranch and make the trek back to Stepney Creek, and young Samuel Tremblay was absolutely, positively, undoubtedly,  _ not  _ agreeable to that idea. 

In fact, the little boy had started crying that morning when his mother gently explained to him that the suitcases by the front door were because Aunt Anne and Uncle Gilbert would be saying goodbye and going home after breakfast. 

“Is Hazy going, too?” He asked as the puzzle pieces all fell into place in his mind, his dark eyes filling with tears at the thought of his new little friend leaving. Josie couldn’t help but giggle as she knelt down to the floor to be at her son’s level, nodding in confirmation as she gently stroked his little cheek. 

“Yes, darling. Hazel’s going too, she’s too little to go anywhere without her mama and papa.” She said softly, and with that Sam broke down right there in the middle of the hallway, burying his face into his mother’s chest. Josie cooed softly, her heart melting in her chest at the little boy’s fondness for the baby, and she was quick to pull him into her lap to comfort him. That was how Henry found them a few minutes later, helping Gilbert with the last of his and Anne’s things. 

“Everything alright down here?” Henry asked, taking in the scene with an amused expression. 

“He’s a little upset that Hazel is leaving today.” Josie explained from her spot on the floor, patting Sam’s back gently as she rocked him back and forth. Gilbert chuckled, setting his bags down by the door. 

“What am I, chopped liver?” He asked, earning a small shove from his friend. 

“I don’t blame him, Hazel’s a great deal cuter than you are. Sweeter, too.” Henry teased. “And smarter, I bet she could run circles are you in the classroom.” 

Gilbert snorted, muttering a quick ‘ _ prick _ ’ under his breath as Henry scooped Sam up into his arms, letting the little boy wrap his arms around his neck as he continued to lament the loss of his newest friend. 

“You’ll get to see Hazel again, son.” Henry reassured him quietly, giving Josie a small smile as she stood from the floor and dusted off her skirts. “Maybe your Uncle Gil and Aunt Anne could come back in the summer and visit, would you like that?” 

Sam sniffled, lifting his head from his father’s shoulder. His bottom lip was still trembling as he nodded, wiping at his eyes with his shirtsleeves. Henry chuckled, ruffling the little boy’s hair lightly. 

“Alright then, I guess we’ll have to make that happen.” He said, shifting Sam in his arms so he could reach for his handkerchief, passing it to the little boy. “Let’s clean up your face son, and then we'll go to breakfast and enjoy the last little bit of time with our friends.” 

With a determined nod Sam wiped off his face as best he could, passing the handkerchief back to his father when he was done, who helped finish the job before setting the little boy back down on the ground. Hand in hand, the two Tremblay men made their way into the dining room where Anne was already sitting with Hazel in her lap, and Sam was quick to climb up into the empty seat next to her. 

“Do I get the honor of sitting next to Mister Samuel Gilbert Tremblay this morning?” She asked with an exaggerated gasp, her enthusiasm rubbing off on the little boy, who giggled happily as Anne pulled his seat closer to hers with a wide smile. 

They managed to make it through breakfast without another meltdown and only two glasses of spilled milk that Josie somehow cleaned up while still managing to eat her own food and uphold the conversation she was having with Anne all at the same time. But after the eggs and oatmeal was eaten, and the dishes had been cleared away, Sam was once again hit with the realization that his friends were leaving and the tears came back two-fold. 

“I don’t want you to go h-home, A-aunt A-anne.” Sam stammered, fat tears rolling down his rosy cheeks. Anne cooed, passing Hazel to Gilbert so she could settle down on her knees in front of him before pulling him into a tight embrace. 

“Your mama is my very best friend, did you know that?” Anne said, rocking him in her arms gently. He nodded when she let him go, sniffling quietly before wiping at his nose with the sleeve of his shirt. 

“And your papa is Uncle Gilbert’s very best friend too.” She said, glancing up to where Henry and Josie were standing watching on with smiles on their faces. Sam nodded again. 

“I’ve been learning that home isn’t a place, Sam. It’s not a house or a building or anything like that, doesn’t that sound kind of silly?” Anne asked with a light chuckle, reaching out to wipe away a stay tear from the boy’s cheek with the pad of her thumb. She waited a moment for him to nod before continuing. “Home is wherever the people you love are, no matter where on earth they go. Your Uncle Gil has the biggest piece of my heart I have to give, so no matter how far apart we are I know that he’s my home. But did you know that you can have more than one home?” 

Sam’s eyebrows furrowed together, looking a little confused as he tried his best to follow along. “You can?” He asked, his dark eyes filled with curiosity. Anne chuckled, nodding. 

“Of course you can! Your mama is my very best friend, and she has a piece of my heart with her. So no matter how far apart we get, I know that when I see her again that I’m home. I know it’s sad having to say goodbye, but know that you have some of Uncle Gil and I’s heart, and you have some of Hazy’s heart, too, and that means that we’ll come home to you again as soon as we can. Do you feel better now, knowing that?” 

Sam sniffled, wiping his face once more before he nodded. Anne smiled, kissing his forehead before standing up, letting Gilbert kneel down so that he could say goodbye to Hazel. Anne took the spare moment to say her goodbyes to Josie, who looked a little misty eyed herself. She didn’t call any attention to it as she pulled the blonde into a bone crushing hug, squeezing her as tightly as she could. 

“I don’t say it nearly as much as I should, but I love you dearly, Anne Blythe.” She whispered quietly. 

“I know you do, Josie Tremblay.” Anne whispered back with a soft laugh, not relinquishing her hold on her just yet. She wanted to make the moment last, knowing that it would be the better part of a year before they saw each other again. “I love you dearly, too.” 

They reluctantly pulled away when Gilbert set a hand on Anne’s shoulder, giving her a look that told her that he didn’t want to leave just as much as she did, but the time had come for them to go or else they would be late. 

With hugs and kisses given, and a few more tears all around, the little Blythe family climbed into the coach, waving goodbye to their friends as they waved from their porch, and they only stopped waving when the coach turned the corner and disappeared from view. Anne frowned, already missing the Tremblays even though they weren’t even off of their property yet, and set her head on Gilbert’s shoulder. 

“Anne?” He said softly, gently grabbing her hand and intertwining their fingers together. His touch anchored her to the present, keeping her from succumbing completely to her melancholy. 

“Yeah, Gil?” She asked with a sad sigh. 

“What you said to Sam earlier, about home and those we love having our hearts, I thought that was really beautiful.” Gilbert said, bringing her hand up to his mouth to kiss softly. Anne managed a smile, nuzzling against his shoulder. 

“It’s true though, isn’t it?” Anne said, squeezing his hand gently. “We’ve had a rough go of it these past few years, with how quickly we had to get married, being apart, the miscarriage... It feels like things are only just now looking up, but knowing that you loved me was what got me through my darkest moments.”

Gilbert smiled, turning his head to press a kiss to the crown of Anne’s head, smiling down at her and Hazel, who was gazing out the window, entranced with the shapes and colors that flitted by. 

“I’ll always be by your side, Anne-girl. No matter what, for the rest of my life.” He said firmly, feeling the same way about the redheaded woman at twenty five as he had at fifteen, completely and hopelessly head over heels for the dreamy-eyed, vivacious girl. 

Anne was right, they had gone through their fair share of trials and victories, and the years ahead of them would only hold more moments that tested their endurance and strength, but they knew good and well that as long as they had each other, that they would be alright. They had built a life together, two orphans who had chosen their families, crafting it carefully with trust and unwavering love and commitment, and that was not something anything could take away from them. Their family would continue to grow and expand, and they would also experience loss that rocked them to their core, but they had chosen each other first and foremost to be each other’s anchor in whatever storm life brought them, and that bond would stand the test of time over and over again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, this fic is over! This feels a little bit like the end of an era, if I'm being honestly with y'all. I started this series in April because I was bored and restless during quarantine and wanted to get back into writing, and over these past five months this story and these characters have turned into something I never could have imagined when I started. Thank you to every single person who's read, commented, left kudos and kept up with this journey, thank you for loving these characters the way I love them. Thank you to Jenni and Heather, for encouraging me when I felt like I couldn't keep going and for always been ready to scream about head canons and plot bunnies with me. You two are weaved into this story in a way that I could never separate you from it, and I'm incredibly grateful for your inspiration and friendship. 
> 
> All this being said: it might be awhile, but there is still more story to tell here. I'll be slowly working on a 5th (and definitely final) installment, but I might be MIA while I focus on school and work on other fics that I've been sitting on for a while. Be patient with me, and I'll hopefully be back soon!


	26. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I lied. I could write a 5th installment, but the more I've thought about it, I'm happy to wrap everything up with a bow and leave it like this. Will I ever write another piece about the in between years? Maybe. Will I publish random bonus scenes and one shots from this universe? Probably, Lord knows I have them squirreled away on my laptop. But this feels good and complete to me, and so for now, this is what I leave with you all. Enjoy!

**June 1920**

Anne Blythe was a blessed woman. She had a good life, one that she thanked the Lord for every day when she said her prayers at night, kneeling by her bedside like Marilla had taught her to do so many years before during her very first night at Green Gables. It seemed like it had been a lifetime since that moment, the years slipping through her fingers like water, and though the time had flown by, she had many ebenezers to remind her of how far she had come. 

She was not as young as she once was, that much she knew for sure. She had the beginnings of wrinkles on her face, smile lines around her mouth from countless laughs shared with friends and crows feet at the corners of her eyes, indicative of how much smiling she had done over the course of her life. She had also started finding gray hair hidden amongst the sea of red, though she blamed those on her eldest son more than old age. When she had first found the dreaded strands she had lamented about them for days, being gently reminded by her sweet husband that he had been going gray since he turned thirty, and it was nothing to be worked up over. 

It was easy for him to say such a thing, he still looked as handsome at forty as he did fifteen, if not infinitely moreso. Gilbert Blythe had aged like a fine wine, and Anne knew that she would want him no matter how old and gray and flabby they got. She couldn’t deny that they had both gotten soft over the years, Anne’s hips and belly clung onto the pudge she had accumulated over the course of seven pregnancies and six babies, but she could never find it in herself to resent the proof that her body had sustained and brought forth life so many times. Gilbert had lost the definition in his shoulders and back that Anne had loved as a young woman, trading it for work worn hands and strong arms that saved lives and cuddled their children tenderly. Yes, they had changed a great deal over their twenty years of marriage, but she didn’t care about what was on the outside. Because at his core, Gilbert had not changed, his steadfast and strong spirit never fading. He was dedicated and devoted, hardworking and humble. He loved her with everything he had in him, and she knew that the crowning jewel of his life was the family they had built together. 

They had waited a while to have another child after having Hazel, adjusting to life as a family of three and learning on the fly how to be parents. Henry Sebastian- though they called him Seb, his full name reserved for when he was getting into trouble- arrived a little over two years after Hazel had (and two months after Henry and Josie’s fifth son, Robert, was born, their proximity in age being their mothers’ worst kept secret. Gilbert would swear up and down until he was blue in the face that the two women had planned it out, but they would never admit to anything.) While they waited a good bit of time between their first two, such was not the case for their third. In fact, Matthew Jermaine was born just eleven months after Seb had arrived, wide eyed, soft spoken, and observative just as his grandfather had been. 

The death of Anne’s beloved father was something that knocked their whole world upside down, his grandchildren were the light of his life, and Anne spent a long while coming to terms with the fact that he would never meet their third child. Marilla was their anchor in that time, leaving Green Gables for the first time in her life to live with them in Stepney Creek. Though Gilbert would never say it to his wife, he knew that Marilla was the glue that held their family together during that wretched time, and the arrival of Matty helped bring the closure that they all needed to move onwards. Marilla lived with them for just shy of two years before she joined her brother in Paradise, leaving behind a hole in their hearts they weren’t sure how to mend. Luckily, hope came four months after her passing in the form of their twins, Mary and Rilla. It was still a burning ache at the best of times, grief was funny like that, but they had the help of friends and family that were still with them to carry them through the darkest of days. The twins kept them on their toes, if nothing else. The pair were two peas in a pod, and time would prove that the addition of Ethel Anne Tremblay (the seventh- and youngest- Tremblay child, and a very welcome addition to her six older brothers) completed the trio of little girls and gave all of their older siblings a run for their money. Ethel Anne’s arrival would also bring a longing in Anne for one more baby, and Gilbert, being perpetually unable to tell his wife no, would oblige her request. Walter John Blythe was born in April of 1911, the day before his oldest sister’s seventh birthday. His arrival completed their family, being the sixth Blythe baby to be born in a grand total of seven years. 

It seemed like the adventures had only just begun once they finished having kids, the years blending together in a blur of broken bones, lost teeth, a harrowing year spent away from Gilbert while a flu ravaged the world, and through it all a seemingly endless amount of calls of ‘ _Mother!’_ and ‘ _Father!’_ Though some days Anne thought she might go insane from hearing her name called so many times, she couldn’t deny that out of every title she held, ‘Mother’ was undoubtedly her favorite. 

Their family made countless memories together, both good and bad, but the ones Anne held closest to her heart were always the ones made at the Tremblay ranch. Somewhere along the line it had become an annual tradition to make the trek out to Ottawa every summer for no less than a month, letting the children run free on the countless acres of land while the two couples caught up, enjoying the time together just as much (if not more) than their children. 

Perhaps that was why Anne was feeling so sentimental as she sat on the porch of the big house, sipping on a gin and tonic with her best friend by her side. It was a picturesque scene, the sun a beautiful marigold as it dipped low in the sky, casting long shadows over the children as they played an ultra-competitive game of baseball in the yard. Henry and Gilbert were sitting on the bottom of the porch steps, ready to step in and play umpire if an argument or scuffle broke out. (Hazel had already been sat out of the game for kicking Sam in the shin after he pulled her hair. Sam was also sitting out for pulling her hair _and_ for the swear word he yelped after receiving the kick. Despite their spat, the inseparable duo were laughing together in the shade of the big oak tree in the front yard, their grievances totally forgotten. It was baffling to their parents how they could be like peaches and cream, but also oil and water at the very same time. Though the adults had no way of knowing it at the time, in a few years time Sam and Hazel would be a whole new kind of trouble for them to handle- trouble that involved sneaking off together and stolen kisses when no one was looking. A development that would not be surprising in the slightest, but would also remind them all too well of their younger selves, which would only make the situation all the more terrifying.) 

“EA has been begging me ever since you got here to let the twins stay after the rest of you leave.” Josie said with a grin, taking a sip of her drink. Once the children hit a certain age and were no longer toddlers, the two families had started the practice of trading children off every so often, always having a mixed bag of Tremblays and Blythes scattered throughout Ottawa and Stepney Creek. The children never stayed for more than a month or so before they were shipped home, usually with someone else in tow for another swap. It was fun, the children loved it, and as long as the children were in their proper homes for birthdays and holidays, the arrangement worked out nicely. (Some of Anne’s favorite memories were when there was a Tremblay boy running around her house, even though Gilbert certainly had a few painfully awkward memories of conversations he had been forced to have with Sam while he was visiting.) 

“I think I could twist Gilbert’s arm to get him to agree,” Anne replied with a giggle. “Who do you think you’d send back with us?” 

Josie snorted, immediately knowing which one of her children she would pick. She opened her mouth to reply, only for her husband to cut her off by shouting the same name she was about to say. 

“ _Thaddeus Lee!”_ He bellowed, standing up from his spot on the steps and taking off across the yard towards his second youngest child. “Inside, now!” 

“Oh dear.” Josie sighed, getting up from her rocking chair to assess the situation. It didn’t take more than a second to understand what had happened- Ethel Anne was on the ground clutching her knee, tear tracks already running down her cheeks as she cried out in pain. Thaddeus (Tad, when he wasn’t in trouble, which frankly, was rare), the resident trouble maker of the Tremblay brood, was standing beside her with a half-guilty, half-pleased expression on his face. If Anne had to guess, he had tripped his little sister as she rounded the bases, sending her flying into the one patch of hard packed dirt rather than the soft grass that covered the rest of the yard. It was a dirty move, one that would have likely been met with more leniency if he tried it on one of his older brothers, but he had messed with the baby, and that wouldn’t do. 

His smirk didn’t last for long before Thomas smacked him on the back of the head, giving him a dirty look before scooping the little girl up out of the dirt. Josie and Anne watched as Henry reached them, giving Thomas a cuff on the head first, with Thaddeus receiving one directly after his older brother. After the smack, Henry grabbed a handful of his shirt and hauled him towards the house, more than likely en route to his office where all “meetings” were held. 

Thomas was still grumbling about the discipline he had received when he got to the porch, a sniffling Ethel Anne in tow. Mary and Rilla were close behind him, matching expressions of concern on their faces. 

“You shouldn’t hit your brother, Thomas.” Josie scolded lightly, a hint of a smile on her face as she took her youngest from him, pressing a kiss to the side of her head to soothe her. Thomas huffed, crossing his arms over his chest in protest. 

“My brother shouldn’t be such a little-” He started, only to be cut off by his mother holding up a hand. 

“Watch your mouth, mister, or I’ll shove a bar of soap in it. It isn’t your job to punish your brother when he acts out, your father does a fine job of it on his own.” She said, feeling like a broken record for how often she had to tell her older children not to meddle in the discipline of their younger siblings. 

“But the baby is off limits! Everyone knows that.” Thomas argued. Ethel Anne perked up at the mention of the dreaded B-word, her mopey expression quickly morphing into one of indignation. While her older brothers thought the term was one of endearment, she very much did _not_ agree with the sentiment. 

“I am not a baby!” She shouted, giving him her meanest look. Josie shushed her quietly, stifling her urge to laugh as she ran a hand over her brown curls to calm her down. 

“Of course you aren’t, sweetheart.” She cooed, glancing off of the porch to where the rest of the kids were still standing in the yard. She was relieved to see Will sitting on the ground with his head between his knees, undoubtedly trying to get his wits together after the scuffle. It was almost comical how squeamish he was when it came to blood, but they had also learned over the years that it was in everyone’s best interest to keep him away from it all (they learned the hard way that he would faint if there was enough of it.) 

“Thomas, go check on your brother and make sure he’s alright, you know how he gets.” Josie instructed, earning a huff from the fifteen year old before he was trudging down the steps to do what had been asked of him. With him gone Josie turned to her youngest with a smile, pressing a kiss to her forehead before hauling her up higher onto her hip. “Why don’t we go get your knee cleaned up, and maybe see about getting a cookie before supper to make you feel better? I might be able to arrange two cookies for the assistants that help me clean her up, as well.” 

She punctuated her last sentence with a conspiratorial look to the twins, who were still lingering on the top step of the porch. With the promise of cookies in mind, Mary and Rilla smiled happily, giving their aunt an eager nod. Josie shot Anne a playful wink as she disappeared in the house with the three little girls, and she knew all too well that it meant, ‘ _We’ll finish this conversation later._ ’ Anne simply smiled, trying to think back to the last time the two women had been able to carry an uninterrupted conversation. It seemed like an impossible task with so many children running around, but Anne didn’t mind. 

The game of baseball had reached its unofficial end when Thaddeus tripped his sister, leaving the remaining children to break off into their own groups- Sam, Will, Thomas, Hazel, and Chip underneath the oak tree while Robert, Seb, Matty, and Walter tossed around the forgotten baseball in the yard. Anne was content to sit and watch them, smiling when Gilbert settled down beside her in Josie’s abandoned rocking chair. 

“Do you think Josie can handle a scraped knee, or should I go offer my medical expertise?” He joked, knowing good and well that the blonde woman could probably put him to shame when it came to tending to wounds. Anne snorted, picking up her forgotten gin and tonic to sip on while she rocked back and forth in her chair, letting her head tip back and her eyes shut. She and Gilbert sat there happily in a companionable silence, soaking in the last few rays of sun that the day had to offer, thankful for a moment of relative peace in the midst of their hectic lives. 

Anne had a lot of good memories, most that she had made with the man beside her, but the ones she was most thankful for were the hidden moments like the one she was in. The moments that were fleeting and uneventful, often overshadowed by excitement and drama. The moments that were like a cool breeze on a sweltering day, or the brush of a butterflies wing against one's cheek. It was a pause, a brief respite from the hustle and bustle of the day where they could be present and grounded in each other. Anne knew that was at home when she was by his side, free and comfortable and content. 

With a happy smile on her face, she stretched her hand out towards him, keeping her eyes shut as she drank in the evening sun. She knew that he would take it and slide his hand in hers, their palms pressed together and their hearts intertwined. Gilbert Blythe had always had the ability to fill the gaps within her perfectly, their souls locked together in a never ending dance. 

“I love you, Gil.” She whispered, squeezing his hand lightly. He squeezed it back, bringing it up to his lips to press a soft kiss to the back of it. 

“I love you, too, Anne-girl.” 

She smiled, taking a deep, content breath, exhaling it slowly as she lost herself in the blissful moment that they were in. 

_Yes_ , she thought. _I am a very blessed woman._

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and loving these characters, I hope you enjoyed seeing everyone a little bit more grown up! 
> 
> For the curious, here's everyone's ages at the end of the epilogue
> 
> Blythes:  
> Gilbert (40)  
> Anne (38)  
> Hazel Josephine (14)  
> Henry Sebastian "Seb" (11)  
> Matthew Jermaine "Matty" (10)  
> Marilla Joy "Rilla" (9)  
> Mary Diana (9)  
> Walter John (7)
> 
> Tremblays:  
> Henry (40)  
> Josie (38)  
> Samuel Gilbert "Sam" (18)  
> William James (16)  
> Thomas Edward (15)  
> Charles Henry "Chip" (13)  
> Robert Harry (12)  
> Thaddeus Lee "Tad" (10)  
> Ethel Anne "EA" (8)

**Author's Note:**

> Raise your hand if I tricked you with the time skip! Hehehe, buckle up guys, this timeline is going to be wild, but I'm excited to tell this story, and I'm hope y'all are excited to read it! 
> 
> Shout out to Heather for suggesting the idea of a time skip, I was totally at a loss as to how to keep going before she suggested it, so kudos to her!


End file.
